Prevalence and Clinico-Pathological Effects of Ectoparasites in Backyard Poultry

Abstract

To study the prevalence of ectoparasites and their clinicopathological effects on backyard poultry, 300 poultry of both sexes and different ages were examined in different areas of Patuakhali district from July 2005 to May 2006. Of them 86.67% were infested with one or more species of ectoparasites. Six species of lice such as Menacanthus stramineus (74%), Menopon gallinae (63%), Lipeurus caponis (48%), Cuclotogaster heterographus (25%), Goniodes gigas (18%), and Goniocotes gallinae (14%), two species of mites namely Dermanyssus gallinae (57%), Knemidocoptes mutans, (43%) and one species of fly, Simulium sp. (3.7%) were identified. Among these, M. stramineus was the most common. Aged above 5 months, 100% poultry were infested with ectoparasites but cocks and broody hens were severely infested. In broody hens, prevalence of D. gallinae was the highest (97.3%). K. mutans (43%) was mostly found in adult poultry aged above two years. The affected birds were emaciated with rough plumage, dandruff, and petechial haemorrhages on the highly infested skin. Small ulcerative lesions were common in Dermanyssus gallinae infestation in which the engorged, red parasites stacked tightly. In K. mutans infestation, legs were rough, swollen with scaly appearance, which was from tibiotarsal joint downwards to the joint of the toes. Some of the severely affected birds showed lameness but no malformation was observed. Histopathologically, scaly leg was characterized by hyperkeratosis and acanthosis. In tissue sections, the mites were observed as transverse or cross section in the deeper parts of the stratum corneum or the superficial layers of the stratum malpighii of the skin and rarely go deeper. In some area of skin, there were losses of epithelium. In advanced cases, there was secondary pyogenic infection; characterized by severe pus cell infiltration in the dermis. The present study suggests that ectoparasitic infestation is very common in the backyard poultry of Bangladesh and they are associated with the production of some clinicopathological effects variable degree.

Study on the Prevalence of Ectoparasitic Arthropods on Free Range Gallus domesticus in Two Communities in Awka

“…A total of 82 domestic fowl (G. domesticus) were infested having a prevalence of 73.21%. The prevalence of 73.21% of ectoparasitic arthropods recorded in the present study is appreciably higher than the figures of 40.5% recorded by Ikpeze [2] for chicken in Eke Awka market and 41.0% recorded by Nnadi and George [18] for chicken in Enugu State but lower than the figures of 86.6% reported by Shanta et al [22] for India. The observed differences in prevalence in these studies may be a result of differences in management system which exposed the domestic fowl to various ectoparasitic arthropods [23], since they scavenge through a wider area of the farmers' house that makes them more exposed to the source of infestation.…”

“…One species of mite, D. gallinae, was found in the study, and had a prevalence of 16.07%, which is higher than the figures obtained for the species by Banda [19] and Bala [20] who recorded a prevalence of 8.1% and 4.4% respectively, but lower than the figures of 57% obtained by Shanta [22]. D. gallinae was found also on adult females and juveniles only in both communities, a finding which does not lend itself to plausible explanation at the moment.…”

“…This finding corroborates the result of earlier studies in different geographical location Sabuni [24] in Kenya, Ikpeze [2] in Eke-Awka market, Bala [19] in Sokoto, Mukaratirwa and Khumalo [16] in South Africa, and Tabasak [26] in Thailand. However, [22] found M. stramineus as the most prevalent lice species. It would therefore seem that M. gallinae is the most widely distributed of lice species in free range G. domesticus.…”

“…The factor(s) responsible for the differences in prevalence between adult males and females, and between adults and juvenile chicks as recorded in the present study is/are not known. However, Shanta [22] noted that male sex hormones make birds more susceptible to parasitic infection resulting to a higher mean parasitic burden. The results of this study showed that domestic chicken in Amansea had higher prevalence of ectoparasitic arthropod infestation (78.57%) compared to Ifite (67.86%) as well as with the findings of Sabuni [24], which recorded that lower midlands zone were found to be slightly higher compared to prevalence of ectoparasitic arthropods in lower highland zone land suggested that the difference could be due to a variation in rainfall, temperature and altitude.…”

Chewing Lice (Order Mallophaga, Suborders Amblycera and Ichnocera) Fauna of Domestic Chicken (Gallus Gallus Domesticus) in Ukraine

“…Other 4 species (L. caponis, P 48 %, Cuclotogaster heterographus Nitzsch, 1866, P 25 %, G. gigas, P 18 % and Goniocotes gallinae De Geer, 1778, P 14 %) were found rarer (Surman, 2013). Similar results were obtained in South Asia (Shanta et al, 2006). In North America, chickens were infected by 4 chewing lice species: Lipeurus maculosus Clay, 1938 (P 70.8 %), Goniocotes chrysocephalus Giebel, 1874 (P 16.15 %), Goniodes colchici Denny 1842 (P 7.65 %) and Amyrisidea megalosoma Overgard, 1943 (P 5.38 %) (Emerson, 1972).…”