The first report of hematozoa in migratory and native birds in Isfahan Province, Iran

Abstract

The avian hematozoa, with widespread prevalence worldwide, are able to infect a wide range of birds. There are various types of birds hosting hematozoa in Iran. The current study aimed at finding whether the avian hematozoa exists in Isfahan Province, central Iran. Since the study was the first of its kind in the province, use was made of “judgmental sampling” and, accordingly, Semirom, Chadegan, Fereydunshahr, Khomeyni Shahr, and Isfahan were selected as cities under study. In this study, birds belonging to five poultry families including ducks, turkeys, geese, hens/roosters, and pigeons—considered as native domestic birds—and a group of waterfowl migratory birds were studied. Blood samples were collected from 275 birds between May and June 2013. Then, a separate blood film was prepared for each sample and later, all the blood films were examined under a light microscope. The infection intensity was also determined for each of the infected birds. Two types of hematozoa, namely Aegyptianella (2.9 %) and Plasmodium (3.6 %) were found in the blood smear of the infected birds. The results revealed that the infection intensity was very low in all the infected cases. Further, the highest rate of the infected cases was related to the turkeys (12.2 %). In the geese, of course, no infection was observed. Fereydunshahr, with 14.2 %, was the city with the highest rate of infected cases. In Semirom, however, no infected cases were observed. In conclusion, more studies are necessary to clarify the status of various hematozoa species in other parts of Iran.