Breeding and moulting related changes in biomarkers of filarial infected (adult female village weaver, Ploceus cucullatus) birds of Amurum Forest Reserve, Nigeria

Periodic evaluation of body weight, hematological or biochemical parameters are crucial biomarkers (in ecophysiological and conservation research) for understanding the physiological state of wild birds that might serve as reservoir hosts for parasitic infections. We investigated: (i) variations in infected adult female village weaver birds’ body weight and plasma glucose in relation to their moulting status during the breeding and non-breeding periods; (ii) variations in H: L ratio and plasma glucose level in relation to baseline CORT levels during moulting and breeding period of the infected birds; and (iii) how plasma cholesterol correlate to baseline CORT, plasma glucose and H: L ratio during moulting and breeding periods of the infected birds. A total of 240 female birds were trapped, and microfilariae were screened in 155(65%) individuals. In a general linear model analyses (GLMs), we found that breeding status, body and head moult signifcantly correlated with weight of infected birds ( P