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

Abstract

A total of 166 psittacines belonging to 22 species were received by the Animal Hospital of National Pingtung University of Science & Technology (NPUST) from 2013 to 2015. Only eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus) were identified as hosts for microfilariae. All eclectus parrots were adult birds and had been kept in Taiwan for more than three years. The relevance of filariae to eclectus parrots is evident as indicated by the 35.7% (5/14) infection rate. At necropsy, adult filarial nematodes 57-75 mm in length and 0.4-0.7 mm in width were found in the hepatic veins. The microfilariae were 170-230 μm in length. Histopathological examination confirmed that eggs and larvae were observed in the ovaries and uteri of female filariae. These nematodes were closely related to an unidentified Filaria sp. (KJ612514.1) as indicated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences from 18S ribosomal DNA gene (18S rDNA), mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene, and internal transcribed spacers 1-5.8S ribosomal DNA gene (ITS 1-5.8S rDNA). However, structurally the filarial nematodes were similar to that of the Pelecitus sp. Eclectus parrot species are important pet birds and are highly traded, resulting in high uncertainty of the origin of the parasite infection. This study is the first of its kind to report the presence and potential impact of filarial nematode infection on eclectus parrots, suggesting parasite inspection prior to the international trade of these pet birds.

Parasitic Diseases of Fancy Birds

“…Nematodes of various species and genera infect pet birds and wild birds. That remains a big source of transmission of roundworms to housed and outdoor captive parrots (Huang et al 2017). The main route of transmission is direct ingestion of embryonated ova of roundworms.…”

Preliminary study on buffy coat smear and molecular detection of microfilaria in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) raised in Southern Thailand

“…Adult filarial nematodes reside in connective tissues, limb joints, body cavities, cardiovascular, pulmonary, lymphatic, and nervous systems [2,[7][8][9][10]. A total of 16 genera of filarial nematodes belonging to the family Onchocercidae are found in avian hosts: Subfamilies Dirofilariinae, Onchocercinae, Splendidofilariinae, and Lemdaniinae [4,[11][12][13].…”

Influence of season and other factors on avian Trypanosoma spp. and microfilarial prevalence in the Lowveld, South Africa

“…Parasite prevalence information for wild birds is useful for risk mapping of infections that could be transmitted to domestic poultry or pet birds in surrounding human settlements, although the origin of infections in such hosts can be uncertain. 24,25 Given that avian parasitism is driven by environmental as well as intrinsic factors 26 , we hypothesised that trypanosome and microfilarial parasite prevalence is affected by both. We attempted to explore how seasonal changes (wet vs dry), study areas, and land use type (inside vs outside the Park) affected prevalence.…”