Infection rate of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in Tennessee Warblers versus the background rate in order Passeriformes

Mycoplasma gallisepticum, or MG, is an avian infectious disease that causes respiratory infections and conjunctivitis in class Aves. MG, originally a poultry disease, also occurs in House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) which are considered reservoirs for the disease. Within songbirds, the current literature focusses primarily on those within the family Fringillidae, namely House Finches, American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis), and Rosefinches (Haemorhous purpureus), and a single member of family Passeridae, the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). This leaves holes in the literature for other families within the order Passeriformes, specifically, Tennessee Warblers (Leiothlypis peregrina) in the family Parulidae. A few papers have examined this family, but never with the purpose of looking at a single member. The Tennessee Warbler is a species we suspect of being a reservoir for MG, as they often have higher rates of infection than most other members of order Passeriformes, like the House Finches. However, this phenomenon is relatively understudied and not enough is known to confirm this. To fill this hole, we collected tissue samples from Tennessee Warblers exclusively. The DNA from these tissues was then extracted and analyzed to detect the presence of MG. This will allow us to examine the infection rate of Tennessee Warblers and compare it to the combined background rate of the other Passeriformes. Our current hypothesis is that the Tennessee Warbler’s rate of infection will be above that of the order Passeriformes background rate.