Gastrointestinal helminths of two populations of wild pigeons (Columba livia) in Brazil

Frederico Fontanelli Vaz,Tânia Freitas Raso,Lidiane Aparecida Firmino Da Silva,Reinaldo José Da Silva,Vivian Lindmayer Ferreira

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612017080

Abstract

Abstract The present study analyzed gastrointestinal helminth communities in 265 wild pigeons (Columba livia) living in the municipalities of São Paulo and Tatuí, state of São Paulo, Brazil, over a one-year period. The birds were caught next to grain storage warehouses and were necropsied. A total of 790 parasites comprising one nematode species and one cestode genus were recovered from 110 pigeons, thus yielding an overall prevalence of 41.5%, mean intensity of infection of 7.2 ± 1.6 (range 1-144) and discrepancy index of 0.855. Only 15 pigeons (5.7%) presented mixed infection. The helminths isolated from the birds were Ascaridia columbae (Ascaridiidae) and Raillietina sp. (Davaineidae). The birds’ weights differed according to sex but this did not influence the intensity of infection. The overall prevalence and intensity of infection did not differ between the sexes, but the prevalence was higher among the birds from Tatuí (47.8%). The gastrointestinal helminth community of C. livia was characterized in the two areas studied and parasite homogeneity was observed over the 12 months analyzed at both locations. These results make contributions to the current literature on health aspects of wild C. livia populations.

Highlights

Pigeons (Columba livia) belong to the order Columbiformes and have adapted to adverse conditions in different parts of the world
A total of 790 parasites comprising one nematode species and one cestode genus were recovered from 110 pigeons, yielding an overall prevalence of 41.5%, mean intensity of infection of 7.2 ± 1.6 and discrepancy index of 0.855
A total of 265 specimens of C. livia were caught during the study period, comprising 146 females (55.1%) and 119 males (44.9%), with an average of 11 pigeons per month at each location

Summary

Introduction

Pigeons (Columba livia) belong to the order Columbiformes and have adapted to adverse conditions in different parts of the world. They are often present at high densities in urban areas such as public parks and live very close to humans and domestic/wild animal species (HARLIN, 1994). These close interactions can be of concern, since pigeons might serve as a potential reservoir of parasites, with the capacity to spread them to wild birds, including threatened species (FORONDA et al, 2004; RADFAR et al, 2012). Few data about health issues relating to wild pigeons are available in the veterinary medical literature (PEREZ, 2005; FERREIRA et al, 2016)

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