Fate of the Wild Avian Filarial Nematode Chandlerella quiscali (Onchocercidae: Filarioidea) in the Domestic Chicken

Abstract

Chandlerella quiscali is a filarial nematode parasitizing the brain of the common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula versicolor), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata bromia), brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater ater), and starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Filarial infections of many wild bird species are common but natural infections of domestic fowl are rare. The habits of many wild birds commonly bring them in close association with domestic poultry. Because of the high prevalence of C. quiscali in grackles (98%) and the pathogenesis it might cause in an unnatural host, this parasite was used to test the receptiveness of the domestic chicken as a host. Microfilariae of C. quiscali were injected into chickens and adult worms were transplanted into the brain or body cavity of other chickens. One group of experimental chickens was immunosuppressed (IS) while another group was not immunosuppressed (NIS). Microfilariae circulated in the blood of IS and NIS chickens for at least 56 days. There was no significant difference in the number of microfilariae recovered from IS and NIS chickens. Adult worms were encapsulated in the brain of NIS chickens and in the body cavity of IS and NIS chickens. Worms survived for 36 hr in the brains of IS chickens. Past 36 hr the worms were shriveled and dead, apparently the result of a physiological and/or nutritional deficiency in the brain.

Filarial nematode infection in eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus) in Taiwan

“…Phylogenetic tree of Eclectus roratus filariae (PC-15-498) and reference nematodes based on the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial COX1 genes. the brain of chickens (Granath, 1980), and of American robins and house sparrows (Hamer et al, 2013). Splendidofilaria Filarial adult worms have also been found in major pulmonary blood vessels in American crows (Dusek & Forrester, 2002).…”

Absence of Wolbachia Endobacteria in Chandlerella quiscali, an Avian Filarial Parasite

“…First, its host, the common grackle, is abundant and synanthropic, it is easy to trap, and it does well in captivity. Local infection rates, particularly in forested regions where vector [ornithophilic Culicoides ] populations are high) can approach 100% (Welker, 1962; Granath, 1980; Johnson, 1984). Moreover, unlike many avian filarids whose adult stages are small and often difficult to locate within their hosts, C. quiscali adults are easily found within the ventricles of the brain.…”

Simulation Models Examining the Effect of Brugian Filariasis on Dengue Epidemics

“…If an arboviral epidemic swept through such populations, there is a good chance that dual infections would occur. For example, as West Nile virus (WNV) spread westward across North America during the early to mid-2000s, the virus encountered susceptible populations of adult American crows in southern Ontario 37 and upstate New York (JAV and L. Patrican, unpublished data) with 65-90% prevalence of Chandlerella chitwoodae mf infections, adult common grackles in Indiana 38 and Illinois 39 with > 90% prevalence of Ch. quiscali mf infections, and adult black-billed magpies in northern Colorado 40,41 with 79-90% prevalence of Splendidofilaria picardina mf infections.…”