The parasitic communities of the rock pigeon Columba livia from Iraq: component and importance.

OBJECTIVE: The main objectives of the present study were to investigate the rock pigeon parasitic communities from Iraq as well as reporting on the prevalence and intensity of various infections from both sexes. METHODS: An examination of 128 specimens of the live rock pigeon Columba livia from Iraq was undertaken. The samples were obtained from several localities of Iraq. Blood samples were examined for haemoprotozoa, carcasses were investigated for the ectoparasites throughout their body skins and feathers, and the alimentary canal was examined for protozoans and helminths. RESULTS: Twenty-seven species of parasites were identified. They comprised 1 Fungi, Candida sp.; 4 Protozoa, Eimeria labbeana, Trichomonas gallinae, Haemoproteus columbae and Plasmodium sp.; 8 Cestoda, 4 of each of the genera Cotugnia and Raillietina; 4 Nematoda, Ascaridia columbae, A. galli, Capillaria obsignata and Synhimantus spiralis; and 10 Arthropoda, the commonest of which were the wing and tail feather louse Columbicola sp. and the pigeon louse fly Pseudolinchia canariensis. Infection indices are provided for each species and in respect to both sexes of the host. CONCLUSION: The issue of zoonosis is raised, so is the role of the rock pigeons in acting as a reservoir and spreading some of the disease agents associated with other avian populations including poultry. Seven of the species are newly introduced to the parasitological list of Iraq and for this country the rock pigeon is a new host record for another 9 of the endoparasites that were diagnosed.

Parasitosis of the chukar partridge, Alectoris chukar in North Iraq.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish the identity of the parasitic communities of the chukar partridge from Iraq as well as reporting on the prevalence and intensity of various infections from several localities and comprising both sexes. METHODS: Twenty-nine live adult chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) were obtained from several localities across the northern provinces of Iraq. Blood samples were examined for haemoprotozoa, carcasses were assessed for the ectoparasites throughout the body skins and feathers, and the alimentary canal was examined for protozoans and helminths. RESULTS: All of the examined animals were infected with the 18 different endo- and ectoparasite species identified. These include 2 protozoans, 3 cestodes, 2 nematodes, and 11 arthropods. The overall figures suggest no significant differences in infection indices in terms of the host's sexuality. Pathogenicity of the parasites involved is briefly emphasised. Furthermore, the role of the chukar in the dissemination of these disease agents among populations of other avian species is discussed. CONCLUSION: With the exception of C. latiproglottina, all of the species differentiated represent new records for chukar from Iraq, and the 2 coccidians are new addenda to the country parasitological list.

On the helminth fauna of some Iraqi reptiles.

A study on the parasitofauna of 7 species of Iraqi reptiles revealed the presence of at least 8 adult helminth species and some tentatively identified larvae. The reptiles were Hemidactylus flaviviridis, H. persicus, Asaccus elisae, Spalerosophis d. cliffordi, Testudo g. terrestris, Mauremys c. caspica and Trionyx euphraticus. The helminths found comprised 1 species of digenetic trematodes (Telorchis stunkardi), cysticercoids of Diplopylidium nolleri and 7 nematode species (Thelandros sp., Microtetrameres sp., Angusticaecum holopterum, Atractis dactyluris, Tachygonetria nicolleri, Camallanus microcephalus, and Falcaustra japonensis). Information about the locality of collection, infection site and rate and parasite burden is provided. Although similar cysticercoid larvae and adults of Thelandros sp. and Microtetrameres sp. were previously recorded from Iraq, the scope of the relevant data is considerably extended. In the researchers' judgment, the rest of the parasite species represents a new addition to the Iraq list.

A metazoan parasitological research of some Iraqi amphibians.

The incidence and intensity of metazoan parasites in 3 species of Iraqi amphibians were studied. The amphibians were Rana ridibunda, Bufo viridis and Hyla arborea. Twenty-four species of helminths were encountered, including 16 trematodes, 1 cestode and 7 nematodes. Their respective names are: Polystoma integerrimum, Prosotocus confusus, P. fuelleborni, Pleurogenoides gastroporus, P. medians, Sonsinotrema tacapense, Opisthioglyphe ranae, Haplometra cylindracea, Haematoloechus volgensis, H. vitelloconfluentum, H. similis, H. asper, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Gorgodera euzeti, G. amplicava, Nematotaenia dispar, Cosmocerca ornata, C. commutata, Aplectana acuminata, Aplectana sp., Oxysomatium sp., Ozwaldocruzia filiformis and Rhabdias bufonis. Collection localities, infection sites and rates and parasite burdens were determined throughout the species list. The highest and lowest rates of infection were for R. bufonis in B. viridis and O. ranae in R. ridibunda, while the highest and lowest worm burdens were for C. ornata in R. ridibunda and P. integerrimum in B. viridis. Seven of the species included in this study are thought to be new for Iraq.

Population dynamics and epidemiology of Toxocara canis in Danish red foxes.

Toxocara canis, an intestinal helminth of canids with zoonotic potential, was found in 618 (59%) of 1,040 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) collected from all Danish provinces (1997-2002). The prevalence and average worm burden were significantly higher for cubs than older foxes and in males than in females. A multiple logistic regression demonstrated that the prevalence was influenced significantly by sex and age of foxes in addition to location, season, and year of collection. The highest prevalence and worm burden were found in rural areas. The size and number of female worms was positively correlated to the fecal egg excretion. The length and fecundity of the worms was significantly higher in male foxes, and a general intensity dependence was suggested from a negative correlation between worm numbers and worm lengths. As compared to intestinal recovery of worms, somatic larvae were recovered from 20% of muscle samples and fecal eggs in 41% of fecal samples. The consistent finding of T. canis larvae in somatic tissues of naturally infected foxes is new.

Toxocara canis in experimentally infected silver and arctic foxes.

In two experiments, thirty-six farm foxes of two species were inoculated with various doses of infective Toxocara canis eggs or tissue larvae isolated from mice. In experiment I, six adult arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus; 11-month old) were each inoculated with 20,000 eggs and sacrificed 100, 220, or 300 days post infection (dpi), while ten silver fox cubs (Vulpes vulpes; 6-9-week old) were infected with varying doses of eggs (30-3000) and necropsied 120 dpi. In experiment II, two groups of five cubs and two groups of five adult silver foxes received both a primary inoculation and either one or two challenge inoculations: primary inoculation (day 0) with 400 embryonated eggs were administered to five cubs and five adults and another five cubs and five adults received 400 larvae. At 50 dpi, the first challenge inoculation (400 eggs) was inoculated in all animals. At 100 dpi, three animals from each group were necropsied. The remaining two animals in each group were received a second challenge inoculation of 400 tissue larvae on 100 dpi and were subsequently necropsied at 150 dpi. In both experiments, the highest numbers of larvae per gram (lpg) of tissue was found in the kidneys (100-300 dpi). In adult foxes receiving a high dose (20,000 eggs), increasing larval burdens were found in the kidneys over the course of the experiment (up to 300 dpi). The larval migration from the lungs to other tissues appeared to be dose-dependent with the highest larval burdens found in adult foxes. The faecal egg excretion, larval burden and intestinal worm burdens decreased from the first to the second challenge infection.

Evaluation of techniques for the recovery of live intestinal Trichinella spiralis worms from experimentally infected foxes.

Previously described methods for the recovery of intestinal Trichinella worms from rodents are not feasible when applied in larger experimental animals such as foxes. In this study,worm recovery by standard technique of simple incubation of the intestine in saline was compared to embedment of the intestine in an agar gel. The small intestines of Trichinella spiralis infected foxes (4-5 days post inoculation) were slit lengthwise and the two corresponding halves were processed with one of the two incubation methods. Worms were recovered from all samples, and the total worm recovery ranged from 0.2-4.4% of the infection dose. The samples from the standard incubation were very unclear and time consuming to count compared with samples from the agar gel embedment,in which the intestinal debris were kept inside the agar. As the agar gel technique generally yielded higher numbers of worms than the corresponding standard incubation sample, it is with some optimisation, recommended for recovery of intestinal Trichinella worms from foxes.

Haemoconcentration associated with low vitamin A status can mask anaemia.

As part of a pig study to elucidate the interactions between low vitamin A status and helminth infections, surprisingly, we observed higher haemoglobin levels and packed cell volumes in the pigs with low vitamin A status. A possible haemoconcentration effect, due to some disturbance in the regulation of the extracellular fluid volume, could lead to underestimation of the prevalence of anaemia in vitamin A deficient human populations. Therefore, this phenomenon needs to be further clarified in studies involving determination of plasma volumes.

Dose-dependent egg excretion in foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) after a single infection with Toxocara canis eggs.

Faecal egg counts were performed daily for a period of 4 months on six silver fox cubs inoculated individually with an egg dose of 30, 100, 300, 1,000, 3,000, or 20,000 Toxocara canis eggs. At the lowest and the highest dose levels, the cubs did not develop patent infections. In the remaining cubs, the initial appearance of eggs in the faeces occurred 35-38 days post-infection (DPI), the patency period varied between 8 and 72 days, and the maximal EPG ranged from 980 to 5,700 (39-85 DPI). The highest egg excretion rates were found in cubs inoculated with 300 and 1,000 eggs. This study demonstrates that T. canis egg excretion rate in fox cubs is not linearly correlated with the ingestion level.