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No Haemosporidian Blood Parasites Detected in 62 Egyptian Geese in Stuttgart

Two Egyptian geese standing and feeding in shallow water in Germany
Research · Disease, parasites & microbiology

A study of introduced Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in Stuttgart, Germany, found no evidence of three major haemosporidian blood-parasite genera in 62 blood samples. Haemosporidians include the avian-malaria genus Plasmodium and related blood parasites such as Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon. The open-access study was published on 9 March 2026 in the Journal of Ornithology.

Researchers analysed blood from 14 adult and 48 juvenile Egyptian geese collected during annual captures of family groups between 2017 and 2025. They used a two-stage PCR protocol to screen the samples for Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon, three genera of haemosporidian blood parasites transmitted by biting insects. Positive and negative controls were included in the analyses, and all 62 goose samples contained amplifiable host DNA.

None of the 62 samples contained the three screened parasite groups

None of the 62 samples tested positive for any of the three parasite groups. The result contrasts with records from the species’ native African range, where Plasmodium and Haemoproteus infections have previously been documented in Egyptian geese.

The authors discuss several possible explanations for the difference. The Stuttgart population uses urban parks with lakes and lawns, and previous research has found lower prevalence and diversity of avian haemosporidians in some urban environments than in more natural habitats. The geese in Stuttgart also generally move over shorter distances than nomadic African populations, which may reduce their exposure to different parasite vectors.

Another possibility raised by the researchers is that introduced European populations may have lost some of the parasites with which Egyptian geese co-evolved in Africa. This is known as the enemy-release hypothesis: introduced species can sometimes escape part of their original parasite community after colonising a new region.

The PCR protocol may under-detect some infections

The researchers emphasise that avian blood parasites remain poorly studied in European waterfowl. They recommend testing Egyptian geese from rural and more natural European habitats as well as urban populations. They also note that blood smears and additional PCR protocols would strengthen future surveys because the primer set used in this study can under-detect some Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon infections.

Sources and image credit

  1. Bentele, A., Dinkel, A., Mackenstedt, U., & Woog, F. (2026). Do Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) carry Avian Malaria in Germany? Journal of Ornithology, 167, 761–768. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-026-02384-7Primary peer-reviewed open-access study published 9 March 2026. Blood from 62 Egyptian geese in Stuttgart (14 adults and 48 juveniles) was screened using nested PCR for Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon; none were detected. The authors caution that the primer set can under-detect some Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon infections and recommend blood smears and additional PCR protocols in future work.

Image: WikiMartinuss — pair of wild Egyptian geese at the lower river Sieg, Germany, photographed 29 April 2024; Wikimedia Commons; representative German population image, not birds from the Stuttgart study · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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