Phylogenetic classification of haemosporidian parasites of Australian flying foxes (Pteropus spp.)

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The five human-infecting Plasmodium species, the causative agents of human malaria, belong to a large monophyletic group of haemosporidian parasites that comprise 200 species of Plasmodium and almost 300 of closely related taxa. The study of non-human malaria parasites is essential for better understanding the evolutionary history of this important parasite group. Among mammals bats feature the most diverse set of haemosporidians and initial findings and molecular characterization of some bat haemosporidian parasites already impacted the overall phylogeny of Haemosporida. The unexpected close relationship of bat Plasmodium species with rodent Plasmodium species that are common laboratory malaria model systems is one of these examples. Despite recent advances, molecular information for the majority of taxa is still missing.We propose the phylogenetic characterization of haemosporidian parasites in Australian flying fox species including the rediscovery and molecular characterization of described morphospecies and the detection of new parasite species. We aim to fill a significant gap in the overall phylogeny of malaria parasites by generating the first molecular data for two enigmatic haemosporidian species, which are endemic in Australian flying foxes. Ideally, we will also identify the two recently described haemosporidian genera. We will further investigate, whether haemosporidian parasites in Australian bats feature previously unknown aspects in their life cycles.An established working procedure will be performed, comprising a combination of microscopic and molecular methods to detect haemosporidian parasites in a diverse sample set of four Australian flying fox species (Pteropus spp.). Morphological characteristics in comparison with previous records will be investigated and a multi-gene phylogenetic approach will be applied.A true understanding of the evolutionary history and biology of malaria parasites can only be obtained from considerations of the full diversity of this parasite group. Bats harbor several parasites that are closely related to human Plasmodium species and thus studying these parasites will contribute to answer important questions, e.g. whether the invasion of mammals occurred more than once in the evolution of haemosporidian parasites or why the human-infecting species Plasmodium falciparum is more virulent than other Plasmodium species.