Avian malaria is caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes.
Susceptible species Some 65 Plasmodiun sp. have been isolated from over 1,000 different species of birds. Few of the Plasmodium sp. which have been identified appear to be natural parasites of domestic poultry. A number of other species of Plasmodia, that occur primarily in passerine birds, can infect or have been experimentally transmitted to the domestic fowl.