Incidence of Haemoproteus columbae in pigeons of Jammu district.

Haemoproteus columbae is the major protozoan infection reported in pigeon and appeared in the erythrocyte of the peripheral circulation. Incidence and parasitaemia of H. columbae in pigeon was studied in different localities of Jammu, India for a period from April to September 2010 using thin blood smear examination. Of the 150 pigeons (wild: 70, domestic: 80), 92 (61.33 %) were found to be infected with H. columbae. Domestic pigeon showed higher incidence rate (74.28 %) than the wild (50 %). Mature and immature gametocyte encircled the erythrocyte nucleus to form a halter shaped appearance were characteristic feature of the parasite. Pseudolynchia canariensis, the vector for H. columbae was also recovered from beneath the feathers of pigeons. No other haemoprotozoan parasite was observed in the blood smear of examined pigeon. Counting of infected erythrocyte revealed higher affection of 1-2 erythrocytes indicative of milder infection in the birds. A long term study within bird population is essential in order to disclose seasonal variation in parasite, vector density and age of infection such as nesting area.

Acaricidal activity of ethanolic extract of Artemisia absinthium against Hyalomma anatolicum ticks.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of different concentrations of ethanolic extract obtained from the aerial parts of Artemisia absinthium in comparison to amitraz on adults, eggs and larvae of Hyalomma anatolicum using the adult immersion test (AIT), egg hatchability test and larval packet test (LPT), respectively. Four concentrations of the extract (2.5, 5, 10 and 20%) with three replications for each concentration were used in all the bioassays. In AIT, the mortality rates at 2.5, 5 and 10% were significantly different (p < 0.05) in comparison to the control group; however, at 20%, it was similar to the positive control group. Maximum mortality of 86.7% was recorded at 20%. The LC50 and LC95 values were calculated as 6.51 and 55.43%, respectively. The oviposition was reduced significantly by 36.8 and 59.1% at concentrations of 10 and 20%, respectively. Egg hatchability was reduced significantly at all concentrations (2.5-20%) in comparison to the control. In LPT, the extract caused 100% mortality of larvae at all the concentrations after 24 h. The results show that ethanolic extract obtained from the aerial parts of A. absinthium has acaricidal properties and could be useful in controlling H. anatolicum.

Occurrence and histopathology of Przhevalskiana silenus larvae infestation in sheep of Jammu, India.

Warble fly infestation is primarily a myiasis of cattle and goat. However, a nondescript sheep from an endemic region was observed with nodules under subcutaneous tissue. So, this paper reports infestation of a sheep with Przhevalskiana silenus larvae in Jammu region of North India. The myiasis was confirmed with parasite morphology and specific histopathological changes observed in cutaneous myiasis.

Seasonal prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in sheep and goats of middle agro-climatic zone of Jammu province.

A total of 1920 faecal samples of sheep (960) and goats (960) of stationary flocks of the middle agro-climatic zone of Jammu province were examined, out of which 67.24 % animals were positive for helminthic infections. The different nematodes observed were strongyles (50.1 %), trichurids (12.1 %) and Strongyloides spp. (4.2 %). Trematode ova recorded were of amphistomes (8.3 %), Fasciola spp. (8.2 %) and Dicrocoelium spp. (5.4 %). No significant difference was observed between the infection level in sheep (68.54 %) and goats (65.94 %) which could be attributed to mixed grazing and sharing of pastures/sheds. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher infection was observed in monsoon as compared to winter. Strongyles were predominant during all the seasons, but significantly (p < 0.05) higher infection was observed in monsoon as compared to winter. Coproculture studies revealed that Haemonchus contortus (61.18 %) predominated during all the seasons, followed by Trichostrongylus spp. (13.67 %), Ostertagia spp. (12.17 %), Strongyloides spp. (4.14 %), Oesophagostomum spp. (3.84 %) and Bunostomum spp. (3.83 %). Eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) were the highest (sheep 1883.33 ± 117.6 and goats 1800 ± 110.21) during monsoon and the lowest during winter (sheep 640 ± 41.29 and goats 556.67 ± 33.01). Two peaks of EPG (the first in May and the second in August) were recorded during the 1 year study period. Infection was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in young (73.22 %) as compared to adults (61.25 %). Females showed a higher infection (73.33 %) as compared to males (61.14 %). The effect of prevailing agro-climatic conditions on the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths has been discussed.

Prevalence of Hypoderma lineatum in cattle of Jammu region.

Clinicoparasitological examination of 750 cattle from Jammu region revealed prevalence of Hypoderma lineatum infestation in 9.73 %. Cattle from Jammu (plain irrigated area) district (397) did not reveal any infestation of hypodermosis, but in Samba district (semi hilly arid area) 20.63 % (73/353) animals harbored H. lineatum larvae. The warbles were recorded from October to March and the mean number of warbles per animal was 7.07 ± 0.45. Infestation significantly varied in different age groups and free grazing practice of animals was one of the risk factor for hypodermosis in cattle of Jammu region.

Prevalence and impact of gastrointestinal helminths on body weight gain in backyard chickens in subtropical and humid zone of Jammu, India.

Necropsy of gastrointestinal tract of 125 free-range chickens from a subtropical and humid zone of northwestern India revealed four nematode spp. (Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum, Capillaria spp. and Cheilospirura hamulosa) and four cestode spp. (Raillietina cesticillus, Raillietina echinobothrida, Raillietina tetragona and Amoebotaenia cuneata) The overall prevalence of the helminth parasites was 72.0%. Amongst various helminth species encountered in the region, A. galli emerged out as the most prevalent, followed by H. gallinarum, R. cesticillus and R. echinobothrida. The impact of helminthic infections on body weight gain in growing chickens was investigated. One hundred growing chickens, aged 40 days were randomly assigned to two groups (treated and untreated controls) of 50 birds each. The birds in treated group were given fenbendazole at 7.5 mg per kg body weight in drinking water, while the birds in other group served as untreated controls. At the end of the 90 days of the field trial, the mean body weight gain of untreated controls was 1232.2 ± 7.28 g (13.7 g/day) compared with 1617.6 ± 5.43 g (18.0 g/day) in the treated group. It was associated with a significantly (P < 0.05) higher mean worm burden (32.92 ± 6.12) in untreated controls than the treated group (2.46 ± 1.14). The prevalences of helminthic species and their impact on body weight gain in growing backyard chickens have been discussed.

Prevalence and biology of goat warble fly infestation by Przhevalskiana silenus in Jammu province, India.

Examination of 3,960 goats brought from six districts of Jammu province and slaughtered at Jammu abattoir from July 2005 to June 2006 revealed 47.22% prevalence of larval stages of warble fly (Przhevalskiana silenus Brauer, 1858) in goats. Highest prevalence was recorded in Udhampur (56.44%) and lowest in Doda district (13.49%). Classification of the study area into four zones based on height (meters above sea level), viz., zone I (300-325 m asl), zone II (325-800 m asl), zone III (800-1,500 m asl), and zone IV (>1,500 m asl), revealed significant (p < 0.01) difference in infestation among animals of zone II (71.68%), zone III (40.12%), and zone IV (22.41%). However, animals of zone I did not reveal any infestation. Statistical analysis in relation to age showed significant (p < 0.01) difference among different age groups, i.e., <1 year (2.81%), 1-3 years (51.17%), and >3 years (43.16%). Breed-wise analysis also showed significantly (p < 0.01) higher infestation rate among Bakerwali (51.51%) goats as compared to Beetal (42.59%). But no significant difference was recorded among male (47.81%) and female (46.82%) animals. The overall mean larva count (L1, L2, and L3) was observed to be 14.72 ± 0.34, ranging from 4 to 72. It was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in animals of zone II (22.20 ± 0.21) as compared to goats of zones III (14.21 ± 0.41) and IV (7.73 ± 0.90). Age-wise analysis of mean larva count also showed significant (P < 0.05) difference between animals of 1-3 years (16.25 ± 0.37) and >3 years of age (13.18 ± 0.40). Mean larvae count in relation to sex and breed did not reveal any significant difference. First-instar larvae (L(1)) were recorded from May to mid-September, second larval stage (L(2)) from mid-September to mid-December, and third-stage larvae (L(3)) from mid-December to February. However, No larvae were recorded from March to April, which is suggestive of pupation period in this region. Thus, it is concluded that adult fly is active in April to June. The results further confirmed that internal life cycle of P. silenus is subcutaneous and no migration of larvae occurs. This is the first report from India, based on slaughter house study on the prevalence and biology of goat warble fly infestation. It will help in devising suitable prophylactic and eradication program to check the economic losses rendered by adult fly.