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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. Parasitology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1610416

Morphological characterization, histopathological alteration, and cytokine response of different tissues of Columba livia naturally infected with Haemoproteus columbae

Provisionally accepted
Heba M.  SalemHeba M. Salem1Amira  M. IbrahimAmira M. Ibrahim2,3Sara  S. BarsoumSara S. Barsoum2Mahmoud  A. MahmoudMahmoud A. Mahmoud4Haleema  H. AlbohiriHaleema H. Albohiri5Mina  A. AlmayoufMina A. Almayouf6Layla  A. AlmutairiLayla A. Almutairi7Mohammed  A. AlqahtaniMohammed A. Alqahtani8Sultan  Mohammed AreshiSultan Mohammed Areshi9Khaled  A. El-TarabilyKhaled A. El-Tarabily10*Marwa  M. AttiaMarwa M. Attia4
  • 1Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
  • 2Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt
  • 3Department of Poultry and Rabbits Diseases, Animal Health Research Institute (Egypt), zagzaig, Egypt
  • 4Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Giza, Egypt
  • 5Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Jeddah University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • 6Department of Biology, College of Science and Arts at Unaizah, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
  • 7Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and rehabilitation sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 8Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • 9Department of Biology, College of Science, Jazan University, Jazan, Jizan, Saudi Arabia
  • 10Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Introduction: Haemoproteus columbae is a common haemosporidian worldwide blood parasite affecting domestic pigeons (Columba livia). Therefore, this study aimed to detect the incidence of H. columbae infection in domestic pigeons with morpho-molecular identification.In the current study, blood samples were collected from 125 domestic pigeons between 2023 and 2024 and analyzed using both microscopic and molecular techniques. H. columbae positive birds underwent postmortem (PM) and histopathological examinations, as well as cytokine immunological reaction assessments.Results: It was found that around 8% (10/125) of pigeons were positive for H. columbae infection, and their morphological characteristics were reported. H. columbae induces observable macroscopic and microscopic alterations in the infected tissues, which increases the cytokine immunological reaction in the infected birds. The infected birds suffered from severe histopathological changes in most haemopoietic and parenchymatous organs. The transcript levels of inflammatory markers such as IL-6, IFN-γ, and IL-1β were significantly upregulated in H. columbae-infected birds. Additionally, the H. columbae samples' mRNA level of the apoptotic cas-3 indicated apoptotic activity.Discussion: Hematic parasites can pose a serious health threat to pigeons as they invade red blood cells and internal organs, leading to anemia, weakness, weight loss, and even death in severe cases. Epidemiological studies and surveys are essential for monitoring these hematologic parasites. Furthermore, additional research is recommended to evaluate the efficacy 3 of various herbal extracts in comparison to the most frequently used drugs for managing this issue in affected pigeons.

Keywords: blood parasites, cytochrome b gene, cytokine, Gene Expression, Haemoproteus columbae

Received: 11 Apr 2025; Accepted: 07 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Salem, Ibrahim, Barsoum, Mahmoud, Albohiri, Almayouf, Almutairi, Alqahtani, Areshi, El-Tarabily and Attia. 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: Khaled A. El-Tarabily, Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

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