20 Opb - 5 Opb - 8 Opb - 12 Opb - 17 Opc - 4 Opc - 5 Opc - 9 Opc - 11 Opc - 15 Opc - I 8 Opd -

We tested whether contamination of avierated by random amplified polymorphic DNA an blood by the parasite Haemoproteus could cause (RAPD). DNA was extracted from blood taken from the amplification of false positive genetic markers genfive Rock Doves (Columba Zivia) infected with Huemoproteus, and one uninfected control individual. A drug treatment was administered to clear the infection, 1 Received 20 August 1999. Accepted 4 April 2000. and a second DNA sample extracted. The parasitized ZCurrent address: USDA Forest Service, Rocky and unparasitized DNA samples were used in RAPD Mountain Research Station, 2205 Columbia S.E., Alreactions with 20 different lo-nucleotide primers, buquerque, NM 87106, e-mail: [email protected] which produced 178 well-resolved markers. In no case 3 Current address: Division of Science & Technolowere any of the reaction products specific to the pargy, Peru State College, PO. Box 10, Peru, NE 68421. asitized samples, and in almost all cases the products 692 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS were found consistently across all replications of infected and non-infected samples. The high ratio of avian to parasite DNA and the greater genome complexity of the host probably prevents the amplification of markers unique to parasite species such as Huemopro-