It is unclear whether DNA lysis buffers used for preservation of whole blood samples from Hawaiian forest birds cause denaturation and loss of antigen binding capability of antibody molecules. If their antigen binding capability is not affected, then the samples can be used in serological assays to provide an independent assessment of the accuracy of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic tests for avian malaria. This data set provides raw absorbance measurements that were collected with a BioRad Model 3550 ELISA plate reader at a wavelength setting of 405 nm for different dilutions of blood from an uninfected Hawaii Amakihi. The blood was preserved in different lysis buffers or placed in phosphate buffered saline as an untreated control.

It is unclear whether DNA lysis buffers used for preservation of whole blood samples from Hawaiian forest birds cause denaturation and loss of antigen binding capability of antibody molecules. If their antigen binding capability is not affected, then the samples can be used in serological assays to provide an independent assessment of the accuracy of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic tests for avian malaria. This data set provides raw absorbance measurements that were collected with a BioRad Model 3550 ELISA plate reader at a wavelength setting of 405 nm for different dilutions of blood from infected Hawaii Amakihi. The blood was preserved in different lysis buffers or placed in phosphate buffered saline as an untreated control.

It is unclear whether DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) lysis buffers used for preservation of whole blood samples from Hawaiian forest birds cause denaturation and loss of antigen binding capability of antibody molecules. If their antigen binding capability is not affected, then the samples can be used in serological assays to provide an independent assessment of the accuracy of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic tests for avian malaria. This data release consists of three tabular datasets of raw absorbance measurements that were collected with a BioRad Model 3550 ELISA (Enzyme linked Immunosorbant Assay) plate reader at a wavelength setting of 405 nm from serial dilutions of whole blood that were preserved with either PBS (phosphate buffered saline) or two different DNA lysis buffers and a single tabular dataset of Percent ELISA Values that were derived from the raw absorbance measurements. The whole blood was collected from uninfected Hawaii Amakihi and Hawaii Amakihi experimentally infected with Plasmodium relictum that were collected from Upper Waikea Forest Reserve on Hawaii Island.

It is unclear whether DNA lysis buffers used for preservation of whole blood samples from Hawaiian forest birds cause denaturation and loss of antigen binding capability of antibody molecules. If their antigen binding capability is not affected, then the samples can be used in serological assays to provide an independent assessment of the accuracy of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic tests for avian malaria. This data set provides derived Percent ELISA (Enzyme linked Immunosorbant Assay) Values calculated from adjusted absorbance measurements that were collected with a BioRad Model 3550 ELISA plate reader at a wavelength setting of 405 nm.

This data release includes metadata and tabular data from a field study of avian diseases (malaria and pox virus) that threatened recovery of the last extant population of ‘Alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) before it went extinct in the wild in the early part of the 21st century. The study focused on habitat occupied by the last remaining wild ‘Alalā and determined prevalence of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in native and non-native forest bird reservoir hosts (Atkinson et al. 2005), oviposition trap captures of Culex quinquefasciatus (the primary vector of avian malaria and pox virus) and Aedes albopictus across an altitudinal gradient, prevalence of malaria within the vector population, wing lengths of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus at different elevations, primary larval habitats and abundance of those habitats across an altitudinal gradient, environmental factors (temperature, humidity and rainfall) that might affect vector distribution and longevity, details about reduction in larval habitat after management actions to drain feral pig damaged tree ferns (Cibotium spp), and pre- and post-treatment oviposition trap catches before and after habitat management.

Native and introduced forest birds were captured and then released across the Hawaiian Islands to acquire a blood sample for obtaining DNA and test for exposure to avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum). A total of 2,945 samples were collected and analyzed for avian malaria prevalence from 39 species captured at 66 sites from Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii islands.

This data publication contains information collected as part of a field and laboratory effort to determine prevalence of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) and pox-like lesions (Avipoxvirus spp.) in native and non-native forest birds on the northern, high elevation (>1500 m) slopes of Haleakala volcano on Maui during the last decade of the 20th century. Forest bird banding data and blood samples for diagnosis of Plasmodium relictum, the agent responsible for avian malaria in Hawaii, were collected in 1993 and again in 1996 at Hanawi Natural Area Reserve and Waikamoi Preserve. Both areas comprise critical habitat for several species of endangered forest birds including Akohekohe (Palmeria dolei), Kiwikiu (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) and Poouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma) which were still extant in the wild at the time of the study. This data file reports morphometric data, age, sex, molt status, lesion occurrence, and diagnostic results for avian malaria from native and non-native forest birds that were captured with mist nets at the two study sites. This XML describes one tabular CSV file: Maui Banding Diagnostics Data Final.CSV.

As part of a larger study looking at the efficacy of the biopesticide VectoMax FG for control of larval Culex quinquefasciatus, USGS and DOFAW personnel monitored adult mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes japonicus) along the Kawaikoi Stream during late summer, September through November 2016 and 2017. Ten trap sites were selected across a 1-kilometer grid centered on the intersection of the Alakai Swamp Trail and Kawaikoi Stream, Alakai Wilderness Preserve, Kauai. Traps were located at least 200 meters apart at accessible sites along the stream, valley floor, and adjacent plateau. Both Biogents Sentinel Traps (BGS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Gravid Traps (GRV) were operated nightly at each site from 1600 to 0700 hr the following morning. Depending on the weather (heavy rains and high water) and trap reliability (battery and CO2 delivery failures) the number of traps operated per night varied considerably. The data was used to compare the weekly relative abundance of mosquitoes (mosquitoes/trap-night) across the trapping season and following VectoMax FG application.

This data publication contains information collected as part of a field, laboratory, and modeling effort aimed at uncovering ecological drivers of avian malaria transmission and impacts on Hawaiian honeycreepers across an altitudinal gradient on the eastern flank of Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes. Forest bird banding data and blood samples for diagnosis of Plasmodium relictum, the agent responsible for avian malaria in Hawaii, were collected from 2001 - 2005 at nine sites ranging 25 to 1,800 m above sea level. This data file reports morphometric data, age, sex, molt status and diagnostic results for avian malaria from native and non-native forest birds that were captured with mist nets at the nine study sites. Related data describing site and sampling coordinate data, mosquito capture data, mosquito avian malaria infection data, and point-transect distance sampling data is available at https://doi.org/10.5066/P95LVJIC. This XML describes one tabular CSV file: Banding Diagnostics Merge Final.CSV.

Mosquito-borne avian malaria is a key limiting factor on Hawaiian forest bird populations. Preservation of endemic forest birds and restoration of Hawaiian forest bird communities will rely on mosquito control. While landscape level control is being developed, managers need short term and reliable tools for monitoring and controlling mosquito populations to protect remaining breeding bird populations. As part of a larger study looking at the efficacy of the biopesticide VectoMax FG for control of larval Culex quinquefasciatus, USGS and DOFAW personnel monitored adult mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes japonicus) along the Kawaikoi Stream during late summer, September through November 2016 and 2017. Ten trap sites were selected across a 1-kilometer grid centered on the intersection of the Alakai Swamp Trail and Kawaikoi Stream, Alakai Wilderness Preserve, Kauai. Traps were located at least 200 meters apart at accessible sites along the stream, valley floor, and adjacent plateau. Both Biogents Sentinel Traps (BGS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Gravid Traps (GR) were operated nightly at each site from 1600 to 0700 hr the following morning. Collected mosquitoes were maintained on a 3% sucrose solution and later dissected for malarial diagnostic. Midguts and salivary glands were examined under compound microscopy (450X) for evidence of infection. Oocyst presence and intensity and sporozoite presence and relative intensity were recorded. While the data does not directly support the project objectives it provides is useful measure of transmission risk at this time and place.