↵​A Copro-parasitological Surveillance on Diverse Captive Wild Avian Species

Abstract

Background: Infections with gastrointestinal parasites are widespread and a major health issue for captive birds. Despite the significance being well known, not much studies have been conducted on its prevalence especially in captive avians in a zoo setup. The present study aims at determining the prevalence of parasites in captive birds of different orders maintained at Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bengaluru, Karnataka. Methods: In this investigation, a survey through fecal sample examination was conducted to assess the parasitic infection in captive birds belonging to 6 different biological orders e.g. Casuariiformes, Anseriformes, Galliformes, Pelecaniformes, Psittaciformes {Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Duck (Anas platyrhynchos), Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), grey pelican, (Pelecanus philippensis), purple heron (Ardea purpurea), silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera), macaw (Ara ararauna), parakeet (Psittacula eupatsia)} and Ciconiiformes maintained at Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bengaluru, Karnataka. A total of 106 fecal samples from apparently healthy birds including 7 samples from emu, 3 ducks, 12 peafowls, 8 red jungle fowls, 24 grey pelicans, 1 purple heron, 13 silver pheasants, 8 macaws, 26 parakeets and 4 Indian open-billed storks were collected during 2015-2016 and were screened for parasitic eggs/oocysts. Result: The screening result could detect ova of 2 (28.57%) Eimeria oocyst in emu, 3 (100%) Eimeria oocyst in duck, 7 (58.33%) Capillaria sp., 3 (25%) Eimeria oocyst, 2 (16.66%) Ascardia galli, 2 (16.66%) Raillietina echinobothrida, 1 (8.33%) Tetrameres sp. in peafowls, 3 (37.5%) Ascardia galli, 1 (12.5%) Eimeria oocyst in red jungle fowls, 5 (20.83%) Ascardia galli in grey pelican, 1 (100%) trematode ova in purple heron, 3 (23.07%) Raillietina sp., 2 (15.38%) Eimeria ocyst in silver pheasant, 2 (25%) Ascaris sp. in macaw, 12 (46.15%) Ascaris sp., 3 (11.53%) Eimeria oocyst in parakeet and 4 (100%) Tetrameres sp. in Indian open-billed storks.