BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Avian Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1576833
This article is part of the Research TopicWomen In Avian Physiology 2025View all articles
Effects of Trichomonas gallinae Infection and Diet on Blood Microbiome Composition in European Greenfinches (Chloris chloris)
Provisionally accepted
Tatjana Krama1
Ronalds Krams1
Sergejs Popovs1
Dita Gudra2Maija Ustinova2
Davids Fridmanis2
Giedrius Trakimas3
Jorge Contreras-Garduño4Dina Cīrule5
Markus J Rantala6
Colton Adams2
Priit Joers7
Indrikis Krams8*- 1Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia
- 2Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre (BMC), Riga, Riga, Latvia
- 3Vilnius University, Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania
- 4National Autonomous University of Mexico, México City, México, Mexico
- 5Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment 'BIOR', Riga, Riga, Latvia
- 6University of Turku, Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland
- 7University of Tartu, Tartu, Tartu County, Estonia
- 8University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
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Recent research has reported microbial invasion of the bloodstream in various diseaseassociated conditions. In this study, we investigated the role of trichomonosis outbreak (caused by the Trichomonas gallinae parasite) and food availability in shaping the blood microbiome composition of wintering greenfinches (Chloris chloris). Data were collected during two periods: before the outbreak (December) and during the outbreak (February). No bacterial contamination was observed in pre-epidemic blood samples. All individuals were infected during the outbreak, but greenfinches with irregular food access exhibited lower bacterial contamination in their blood. Individuals with permanent food access had a greater proportional representation of specific microbial taxa and higher alpha diversity in their blood microbiomes. However, beta diversity did not differ between the two groups. We demonstrated that trichomonosis infection and feeding regime play critical roles in mediating septic conditions of peripheral circulation during an outbreak, with food accessibility influencing blood microbial contamination. These findings integrate the impacts of feeding regimes and hematological responses to improve our understanding of the complex interactions between diet, disease, and physiological resilience in wild birds.
Keywords: Blood microbiome, Chloris chloris, European greenfinch, Bird feeding behavior, health and disease ecology, trichomonosis outbreaks
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 16 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Krama, Krams, Popovs, Gudra, Ustinova, Fridmanis, Trakimas, Contreras-Garduño, Cīrule, Rantala, Adams, Joers and Krams. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Indrikis Krams, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
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