Interdependence and biodiversity of pathogens in intestinal channel parasitocenoses of chickens in the eastern region of Ukraine

Abstract

Changes in the forms of management, the concentration of poultry in limited territories lead to a violation of homeostasis in biotopes and parasitic systems. The research aimed to find out the peculiarities of distribution, biodiversity, and interdependence of pathogens in parasitocenoses of the intestinal tract of chickens in the Eastern region of Ukraine. According to the results of research, the biodiversity of pathogens in parasitocenoses of the chicken intestinal tract in poultry farms in the Eastern region of Ukraine has been determined. 17 species of pathogens were identified, including 10 species of protists (from Apicomplexa and Zoomastygophora), and 7 species of helminths: 5 species from Nematoda, 2 species from Cestoda. The influence of breeding technologies and systems of keeping chickens on the prevalence, biodiversity of parasitocenoses, species indices of parasitocenosis (SIP, %), and correlations between components of parasitocenoses have been determined. For the industrial technology of raising chickens in cages, the parasitocenosis was formed by 6 species of Eimeria (SIP — 100%, prevalence — 15.72%). When poultry was kept on a deep when kept on a deep unchanging litter in the structure of the parasitocenosis the share of eimeriosis was 87.72%, ascariasis — 12.28%. For the traditional extensive technology of raising chickens using pastures (farms and homestead farms), the prevalence in chickens was 64.07%. In the parasitocenosis of the intestinal tract in chickens there are relationships between pathogens — a high correlation between eimeriosis, histomonosis, trichomoniasis and helminthiasis (0.718–0.944) and between histomonosis, ascariasis, heterococcus and capillary (0.975–0.998), and a low correlation between histomonosis and trichomoniasis (0.449), which indicates the presence of synergetic (high correlation) and competitive (low correlation) relationships between the components of parasitocenoses of the intestinal tract