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Toxoplasma gondii DNA Was Detected in 14% of Magpies in Greece

Wild Eurasian magpie in Greece
Research · Disease, parasites & microbiology

A molecular survey of wild birds in Greece detected Toxoplasma gondii DNA in 14 of 100 eurasian magpies (Pica pica). The study, published online on 28 March 2026 in Parasite Epidemiology and Control, provides the first confirmed report of natural T. gondii infection in magpies in Greece.

T. gondii is a zoonotic parasite that causes toxoplasmosis and can infect many warm-blooded animals, including birds and humans. Wild birds are important intermediate hosts and can act as sentinels of environmental contamination, which is why their infection status is useful beyond the individual birds themselves.

The researchers examined brain tissue from several wild and domestic bird groups to investigate the occurrence of T. gondii. Among the 100 magpies tested, 14 were positive by molecular analysis, corresponding to a prevalence of 14%.

Rock partridges and wild quails were positive too

The survey also included 16 rock partridges (Alectoris graeca graeca), 28 wild common quails (Coturnix coturnix), 20 Eurasian woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) and 107 farmed quails. Five rock partridges and ten wild quails were positive, while none of the woodcocks or farmed quails tested positive. Across all 271 birds, 29 samples were positive.

Birds act as intermediate hosts for T. gondii. They can acquire the parasite from contaminated soil, water or food, and infected birds can in turn be eaten by felids, which are the definitive hosts. The authors therefore describe wild birds as useful indicators of environmental contamination with the parasite.

The detections in magpies, rock partridges and wild common quails were the first molecular reports of T. gondii in those bird groups in Greece. The rock-partridge result was also, according to the authors, the first confirmed report of natural T. gondii infection in that species worldwide.

Sources and image credit

  1. Tsakmakidis, I., Moustakidis, K., Alvanou, M. V., Lefkaditis, M., Athanasakopoulou, Z., Zaralis, K., & Giantsis, I. A. (2026). Migratory and opportunistic wild and domestic birds, as Toxoplasma gondii carriers. Parasite Epidemiology and Control, 33, e00502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2026.e00502Primary peer-reviewed open-access study, published online 28 March 2026.

Image: Annatsach / Wikimedia Commons — wild Eurasian magpie photographed in Greece; representative country-relevant image, not one of the sampled birds; cropped to 16:9 · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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