Infection levels of the eyewormOxyspirura petrowiand caecal wormAulonocephalus pennulain the northern bobwhite and scaled quail from the Rolling Plains of Texas

Abstract

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) have experienced chronic declines within the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas. Parasitic infection, which has long been dismissed as a problem in quail, has not been studied thoroughly until recently. A total of 219 northern bobwhite and 101 scaled quail from Mitchell County, Texas were captured and donated from 2014 to 2015, and examined for eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) infections. In 2014, bobwhites averaged 19.6 ± 1.8 eyeworms and 98.6 ± 8.2 caecal worms, and 23.5 ± 2.1 eyeworms and 129.9 ± 10.7 caecal worms in 2015. Scaled quail averaged 4.8 ± 1.0 eyeworms and 50 ± 6.8 caecal worms in 2014, and 5.7 ± 1.3 eyeworms and 38.1 ± 7.1 caecal worms in 2015. This study expands the knowledge of parasitic infection in quail inhabiting the Rolling Plains of Texas. A significant difference was documented in O. petrowi infection between species but there was no significant difference in A. pennula between quail species. No significant difference was detected in parasite infection between the sexes of both northern bobwhite and scaled quail. This study also documented the highest reported O. petrowi infection in both species of quail. Additional research is needed on the life history and infection dynamics of O. petrowi and A. pennula infections to determine if there are individual- and/or population-level implications due to parasitic infection.

“Weight of evidence” as a tool for evaluating disease in wildlife: An example assessing parasitic infection in Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)

“…petrowi ). Dunham et al (2017a) hypothesized that this was due to highly infected individuals suffering reduced fitness, which ultimately led to mortality, and this is consistent with models of populations experiencing PIHM discussed in section 4.3 .…”

“…Oxyspirura petrowi have also been documented in wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ; Kubečka et al, 2018 ), songbirds ( Dunham and Kendall, 2014 ), lesser prairie-chickens ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ; Dunham et al, 2014b ), Gambel's ( Callipepla gambelii ), and scaled quail ( Callipepla squamata ) ( Dunham and Kendall, 2017 ), while A . pennula have been found in scaled quail ( Dunham et al, 2017a ) and wild turkey ( Hon et al, 1975 ). The wide range of hosts for O .…”

“…petrowi in the Rolling Plains may have exposed a large proportion of bobwhite to infection, it is also important to consider the intensity of these infections, as even highly pathogenic organisms may have negligible effects on their hosts if present only in low numbers ( Fredensborg et al, 2004 ). Consequently, Dunham et al (2017a) developed infection level thresholds to provide a systematic way of gauging the intensity of parasitic infection in bobwhite; during which, a large proportion of bobwhite (48%) were found to have lower eyeworm infections (<20 O . petrowi ), while relatively few (15%) were heavily parasitized (>40 O .…”

Regional surveillance of parasitic infections in wild Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) utilizing a mobile research laboratory platform

“…However, over the past several decades, there has been an average decline of >4% of bobwhite in this area (Sauer et al, 2013) despite stable habitat conditions (Rollins, 2000(Rollins, , 2007. More specifically, in the summer of 2010, the expected 'boom' in quail did not occur which ultimately launched Operation Idiopathic Decline (OID) (Dunham et al, 2017a).…”

Caecal worm, Aulonocephalus pennula , infection in the northern bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus

“…Rollins (1980) speculated that caecal digestion was especially important when the bobwhite's diet consisted of high-cellulose foods (e.g., during late-winter when seeds of Russian thistle [ Salsola kali ] were most common in a bobwhite's diet in the Rolling Plains). Recent studies by Villarreal et al., 2012, Bruno, 2014, Dunham et al., 2016a found A. pennula to be highly prevalent. Observations were not reported on any gross pathology associated with infection.…”