Avian Disease Ecology in the Neotropics

Birds are the best-known taxonomic group worldwide, and the Neotropics is home to the most considerable avian diversity. However, there is still a dearth of information on the parasites affecting most avian species. If we do not know what parasites infect birds, we will not be able to determine risks for humans and domestic and wild birds, nor to assess the possibility of pathogen jumps across species. Thus, we reviewed and synthesized current information regarding parasite ecology in birds across the Neotropics. The best-studied parasite groups were arthropods (Myrsidea lice), viruses (Avian pox, Influenza, and West Nile), and protozoa (avian haemosporidians), and they were mainly studied in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Ecuador within Passeriformes birds. We found that parasite prevalence and diversity are studied as a function of several anthropogenic (e.g., land-use type and habitat fragmentation) and ecological factors (e.g., latitude, altitude, and temperature), but the lack of mathematical assessment of these factors concerning parasite dynamics limits our understanding of processes driving the ecology of most avian parasites. We recommend future research efforts to continue focusing on host-rich tropical and subtropical regions, to include non-Passerine species, and to assess how temporal dynamics affect parasite prevalence and diversity across their hosts and environments.