First report of the Hadjelia truncata infestation in pigeons of Iran

Abstract

Summary Three adult pigeons (Columbia livia) belonging to a pigeon farm in Mashhad area were submitted to Poultry Clinic of School of Veterinary Medicine for post-mortem inspection. The farm had 150 adult pigeons and a number of them suffered from a chronic disease with body weight loss, diarrhoea and weakness. At necropsy, slight to extreme enlargement with distortion were observed in gizzards of all carcases. There was a large number of nematodes in or beneath the lining of the affected gizzards. The worms were removed from the lining of the rostral parts of the gizzards and cleared in lactophenol. Also, tissue blocks from various parts of the gizzards were processed by conventional methods for preparation of paraffin wax sections. Based on parasitological and pathological findings the Hadjelia truncata infestation was identified for the first time from Iran and this species is a pathogenic agent for pigeons.