Research Coordination Network for Haemosporida of Terrestrial Vertebrates: A Model Parasite-Host System

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Haemosporida, malaria blood parasites, are diverse and widespread and are major parasites and pathogens of birds, reptiles, and mammals, including humans and domestic animals. Despite their ecological, evolutionary, and public health importance, these parasites, their distribution, and their evolutionary biology are poorly known, in large part owing to the dearth of trained investigators familiar with the molecular techniques required to identify infections in wild populations. Additionally, Haemosporida form a model group for study of host-specificity of disease organisms and the emergence of novel diseases through such mechanisms as host-switching. This Research Coordination Network (RCN) will improve understanding of malaria blood parasites, and of the disease risks they entail, through an integrated set of actions. The RCN will establish and operate a website to provide information, sources of data, and tools for parasite identification, and will contribute to advancing ability to classify these single-celled blood parasites that are known primarily from DNA sequences obtained from the blood of infected hosts. A major feature of the RCN will be the establishment of one-week summer schools with intensive training for young investigators, particularly from developing countries, in the techniques of working with malaria parasites, from collecting blood samples in the field to the molecular lab techniques for obtaining DNA sequence data and using the analytical tools to interpret their findings. The Network will be completely open to interested individuals and will serve as a forum for promoting research and collaboration on these model disease organisms.