Ascaridia Galli Research Articles

Gastrointestinal helminths of backyard chickens in selected areas of West Shoa Zone Central, Ethiopia

Gastrointestinal parasites of chickens are prevalent in many parts of the world including Ethiopia. This study was conducted with backyard chickens in Ambo, Holeta and, Dire Inchini in the West Shoa zone with the objectives of estimating the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections, identifying the species present and determining associated risk factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 252 chickens purchased from local markets. Chickens were killed humanely and gastrointestinal tracts were examined for adult helminths. Identification of the helminths was performed using morphology and microscopy. The overall prevalence of helminth parasites in chickens was 92.1% (232/252) [95% confidence interval (CI): 88.0% - 95.1%]. 80.2% (204/252) [95% CI: 75.3% - 86.9%] and 77.8% (196/252) [95% CI: 72.1% - 82.8%] of chickens were infected with diverse nematode and cestode species, respectively. Parasitological examination revealed the presence of three nematode and five cestode species. Ascaridia galli (69.8%) and Heterakis gallinarum (13.5%) were the dominant nematode species and Railletina tetragona (54.0%) and Railletina echinobothrida (46.8%) were the most prevalent species of cestodes identified. A significant difference (p < .05) was observed between the prevalence of nematode parasites and sex, age, and origin of the chicken. Similarly, sex and origin of the chickens were significantly different with the prevalence of cestode infections. Higher prevalence was observed in male versus female chickens, in young versus adult chickens and in chickens from Holeta and Direinchin compared to Ambo. In contrast, weight, health status, diarrhea status, and age (for cestodes) were not significantly associated with nematode and cestode infection. In conclusion, the present study detected a high prevalence of diverse types of gastrointestinal helminths in backyard chickens, which could result in poor health and reduce productivity. Therefore, the present study strongly suggests appropriate and strategic control of helminthiasis to improve the health and output of backyard chickens in the study areas.

Gastrointestinal parasites of different avian species in Ilorin, North Central, Nigeria.

Objective:The current study aimed to determine the prevalence, infection burden, and risk factors associated with the occurrence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites in different avian species in Ilorin, Nigeria.Materials and Methods:This study was conducted in Ilorin, involving 597 fecal samples and GI tracts from a variety of sold and slaughtered avian species. The study was conducted between September 2017 and February 2018. Fecal samples were examined using floatation technique, while the GI tracts were examined for gross helminths and its content were subjected to the direct wet mount examination. Data were analyzed using percentages (descriptive) and the Chi-square (१) test (inferential). p < 0.05 was considered significant for all analysis.Results:Ten GI parasites were detected with Eimeria species (32.83%), Ascaridia galli (30.15%) and Heterakis gallinarum (24.79%) as the most prevalent ones. Multiple parasites co-infection was recorded in all the avian species: broilers (77.78%), layers (33.33%), cockerels (45.16%), indigenous chickens (17.91%), ducks (69.70%), pigeons (94.12%), turkeys (47.83%), and guinea fowls (77.36%). Pigeons (100.00%) and turkeys (95.65%) were the most infected avian species. Age, sex, and avian types were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the occurrence of GI parasites infection.Conclusion:This study gives a reflection of the GI parasites fauna of avian species in Nigeria. The GI parasites are endemic among different avian species in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria. Knowledge on the epidemiology of these parasites is important in instituting a good preventive and control measures against GI parasites, so as to have maximum production and reproduction effects in the poultry industry.

Gene expression profiles of the small intestine of village chickens from an Ascaridia galli infested environment

Nematodes of the genus Ascaridia are known to infect many species of birds and result in fatal diseases. A. galli damages the intestinal mucosa of chickens leading to blood loss, secondary infection and occasionally the obstruction of small intestines due to high worm burden. This study investigated the gene expression profiles in chickens from two different provinces of South Africa naturally exposed to A. galli infestations and tested either positive or negative for the parasite. The study further investigated gene expression profiles of the A. galli infected duodenum, jejunum and ileum tissues of the small intestines. The A. galli positive intestines displayed hypertrophy of the intestinal villi with accumulation of inflammatory cells and necrosis of the crypts of Lieberkühn glands, lesions that were absent in the uninfected intestines. Total RNA isolated from small intestines of infected and non-infected intestines was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq technology to generate up to 23,856,130 reads. Between any two-way comparisons of the intestines, 277 and 190 transcripts were significantly expressed in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) chickens, respectively. Gene ontology analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed an enrichment of genes reported to function in the immune response, defense response, inflammatory response and cell signalling genes. T cell receptor signalling pathways and arachidonic acid metabolism pathways were among the most significantly impacted pathways. Overall, the study provided insights into adaptative mechanisms for chickens extensively raised in parasite infected environments.

Prevalence of Intestinal Helminth Parasites of Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus Linnaeus, 1758) in Lalitpur District, Nepal

This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal helminth parasites of local chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) from Lalitpur district, Nepal. It was carried out from February 2014 to March 2015. A total of 125 samples (93 alimentary canals of freshly killed chicken and 32 stool samples from ground and fowl runs) were collected. Out of 93 alimentary canals 17 were collected from free range chicken and 76 were from slaughtered house i.e. from poultry farm chicken. The faecal samples were collected in the sterile vials containing 2.5 percent potassium dichromate. Depending upon the convenience, post mortem examination method, differential floatation method and direct smear method were used for the examination of samples. The present study showed only 40 percent of all the poultry examined as infected. Overall 5 species of nematodes, 1 species of cestode and 4 unidentified species were found to be prevalent in chicken from Lalitpur district. The highest prevalence rate was found with Heterakis gallinarum (22.4%) followed by Capillaria species (16%), Ascaridia galli (10.4%), unidentified species (4.8%) and Raillietina tetragona (4%). Statistically there was a significant difference in the prevalence of helminth species (χ2=33.83; p&lt; 0.05; α=1). Likewise, there was significant difference in the prevalence rate of helminth parasites in free range chicken and poultry chicken (χ2=22.055; p&lt; 0.05; α=1).

Prevalence and distribution pattern of intestinal helminths in chicken and pigeons in Aswan, Upper Egypt.

There is scarce data available on helminth infection of poultry in the region of Aswan province, Upper Egypt. A total of 276 poultry (156 baladi chickens and 120 domestic pigeons) were collected from different villages in Aswan province to screen the presence of intestinal helminths during the period from April 2016 to March 2017. The current investigation revealed that the overall prevalence was 55.79% (154/276). Additionally, 59.09% baladi chickens had mixed infections with four cestodes and three nematodes. Among cestodes, Raillietina tetragona was the most prevalent species (16.02%) followed by Raillietina echinobothrida (10.98%), Cotugnia digonopora (6.41%), and Raillietina cesticillus (1.28%). The most prevalent nematodal species were Heterakis gallinarum (15.38%), Ascaridia galli (8.97%), and Subulura brumpti (1.28%). In pigeons, 52.5% were found to be infected by four cestodes: Raillietina echinobothrida (22.5%), Cotugnia digonopora (13.33%), Raillietina tetragona (9.16%), and Raillietina cesticillus (3.33%) as well as one species of nematodes, Ascaridia columbae (9.16%). There was a close relationship between the occurrence of intestinal helminths and the age of domestic birds revealing that the high prevalence was found in adults rather than young birds. Meanwhile, it has been found that the highest prevalence was found in summer, while the lowest infection rate was recorded in winter. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of the parasites on the health and productivity of poultry in such area.

Co-expulsion of Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum by chickens

Worm expulsion is known to occur in mammalian hosts exposed to mono-species helminth infections, whilst this phenomenon is poorly described in avian hosts. Mono-species infections, however, are rather rare under natural circumstances. Therefore, we quantified the extent and duration of worm expulsion by chickens experimentally infected with both Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum, and investigated the accompanying humoral and cell-mediated host immune responses in association with population dynamics of the worms. Results demonstrated the strong co-expulsion of the two ascarid species in three phases. The expulsion patterns were characterized by non-linear alterations separated by species-specific time thresholds. Ascaridia galli burden decreased at a daily expulsion rate (e) of 4.3 worms up to a threshold of 30.5 days p.i., followed by a much lower second expulsion rate (e = 0.46), which resulted in almost, but not entirely, complete expulsion. Heterakis gallinarum was able to induce reinfection within the experimental period (9 weeks). First generation H. gallinarum worms were expelled at a daily rate of e = 0.8 worms until 36.4 days p.i., and thereafter almost no expulsion occurred. Data on both humoral and tissue-specific cellular immune responses collectively indicated that antibody production in chickens with multispecies ascarid infections is triggered by Th2 polarisation. Local Th2 immune responses and mucin-regulating genes are associated with the regulation of worm expulsion. In conclusion, the chicken host is able to eliminate the vast majority of both A. galli and H. gallinarum in three distinct phases. Worm expulsion was strongly associated with the developmental stages of the worms, where the elimination of juvenile stages was specifically targeted. A very small percentage of worms was nevertheless able to survive, reach maturity and induce reinfection if given sufficient time to complete their life cycle. Both humoral and local immune responses were associated with worm expulsion.

IN VITRO ASSESSMENT OF ANTHELMINTIC AND ALPHA-AMYLASE INHIBITION OF SCHLEICHERA OLEOSA (LOUR.) OKEN LEAF EXTRACTS

Objective: The present study deals with the effects of Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken leaf extracts on helminths and alpha-amylase inhibition. Identification of phytochemicals and physicochemical analysis were also performed.Methods: Different concentrations (25, 50, and 100 mg/ml) of petroleum ether, acetone, chloroform, ethanol, and aqueous extracts of the leaf were used to examine the effects. For the evaluation of in vitro anthelmintic activity, several earthworms (Eisenia fetida, Perionyx excavates, and Pheretima posthuma) and nematode (Ascaridia galli) were taken, while albendazole was used as a standard drug and Tween 80 (3%) in normal saline (0.9% NaCl) was considered as a control treatment. In vitro alpha-amylase inhibition of different extracts (10–100 mg/ml) was done spectrophotometrically by dinitrosalicylic acid - starch azure method.Results: The ethanolic extract showed the maximum presence of phytochemicals among all the extracts, which included alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponin glycosides, phenolic compounds, resins, and amino acids. The outcomes of the determination of physicochemical parameters and fluorescence characters provided the satisfactory results. Significant anthelmintic activity was established by the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the leaf among all the extracts and the responses, so observed, were dose responsive. Inhibition of alpha-amylase by ethanolic and aqueous extracts was significant with the IC50 value of 36.63 and 73.94 μg/ml, respectively, when compared to standard acarbose.Conclusion: The ethanolic extract was the more potent candidate for both the effects, and the effect of extract was best against A. galli, P. posthuma, and E. fetida at higher concentration. Isolation and characterization of therapeutic constituents would be the future interest.

Potensi Antelmintik Ekstrak Etanol Daun Mangga Arumanis (Mangifera indica L.) pada Cacing Ascaridia galli dan Raillietina tetragona secara In Vitro

Plants have potential as a traditional medicine , one of them is arumanis mango ( Mangifera indica L.) which is suspected hav e anthelmintic activity. The aim of this research is to know the anthelmintic activity of ethanol extract of arumanis mango leaves on Ascaridia galli worm and Raillietina tetragona in vitro, to know the effect of increasing extract concentration and to know LC 50 and LT 50 value from extract. The concentration of extract used were 5mg / ml, 25mg/ml and 50mg/ml, normal control (NaCl 0,9%) and positive control (mebendazol e 5 mg/ml). The time and number of worm deaths were observ ed and analyzed using SPSS One Way Anova , Post hoc (LSD) and Probit. The results showed normal controls differ ent significantly with all treatment groups. Concentrations of extracts 25mg/ml and 50mg/ml had time and number of worm deaths that did n’ t differ ent significantly with mebendazole 5mg/ml p=0.466 and p=0.760 at Ascaridia galli , p=0.093 and p=0.566 on Raillietina tetragona , there is an effect of increasing the concentration of extract on the increase of anthelmintic activity. The value of LC 50 extract on Ascaridia galli and Raillietina tetragona are: 2,6mg/ml and 3,1mg/ml, while LT 50 extract value of Ascaridia galli and Raillietina tetragona are: 15 , 2 hours and 2 , 5 hours. The conclusion from this research is Mango arumanis leaves have anthelmintic activity.

Intestinal parasites among migrant barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) in the central region of Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran.

Aim:Swallows are a family of migratory birds found worldwide except Antarctica. Annually, a number of species of swallows migrate to Iran. As they make their nests close to human living places, this may be a potential risk for public health. Conversely, no study has been conducted on intestinal parasitic infections of these birds so far. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in migratory swallows (Hirundo rustica) in the central region of Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran.Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 205 feces samples from two districts (Sari and Qaemshahr) in the central region of Mazandaran were randomly collected during the summer and spring sessions of 2016-2017. The collected samples were examined using the routine direct fecal examination and formalin-ethyl acetate concentration. In addition, the samples were examined by cold acid-fast staining method to detect possible Cryptosporidium oocysts.Results:The results of this study indicated that 38 samples (18.5%) were infected with intestinal parasites. Among the helminthic parasites, eight genera and species were identified as follows: Ascaridia galli, Syngamus trachea, Raillietina, Toxocara spp., Choanotaenia, Taenia spp., Ascaridia spp., and Moniezia spp. In addition, among protozoan parasites, only the Coccidia spp. oocysts were identified.Conclusion:Our findings showed a relatively high prevalence of parasitic infections in migratory barn swallows in Mazandaran Province. Given the presence of zoonotic parasites in the samples, further investigations are needed to identify all parasites fauna, particularly zoonotic species among swallows in the region.

PREVALENCE OF PARASITIC INFECTIONS OF GAME BIRDS IN DHAKA CITY CORPORATION, BANGLADESH

Game birds are silent controller of maintaining ecological balance. To study the prevalence of intestinal parasites in game birds, a total of 60 birds (budgerigar, parrot, cockatoo, dove, turkey and teeter) were collected from several places of Dhaka Municipality area, during the period of June 2017 to November, 2017. Alongside the effects of age, sex, season and treatment on the prevalence of parasitic infection in game birds were studied. Coprologic analysis revealed that the overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 45%, of which 21.67% of Ascaridia galli, 10% for Balantidium coli and 13.33% for Eimeria spp. The prevalence of Ascaridia galli was 28.7%, t 22.22% and 16.6% in teeter, budgerigar and parrot respectively. Eimeria spp. (16.67%) in budgerigar. The prevalence of Ascaridia galli was highest (25%) followed by Eimeria spp (16.67%) in parrot. The prevalence of Ascaridia galli in cockatoo was 16.67%. In dove prevalence of Balantidium coli (44.44%) was highest followed by Ascaridia galli (22.22%). The prevalence of Eimeria spp. and Balantidium coli were highest (25%) followed by Ascaridia galli (12.50%) in turkey. The prevalence of Ascaridia galli was highest (28.57%) followed by Eimeria spp (14.23%) in teeter. Age of this game birds had significant (p&gt; 0.05) influence on the infections and odds ratio of Chick (&lt;6 month) vs young (&gt;6 month to 1 year), young vs adult (&gt;1 year) and chick vs adult were 1.28, 1.08 and 1.4 respectively. The sex of the game birds had significant (p&gt;0.05) influence on the infections with intestinal parasites and odds ratio of male vs female was 0.81. Game birds had significant (p&gt;0.05) on the infection in the seasons of the year and odds ratio of summer vs winter was 2.12. Game birds had significant (p&gt;0.05) on the infection in the treatment given and the odds ratio of treated vs non-treated was 0.89. It may be concluded that game birds, irrespective of age, sex, season, treatment, intestinal parasites are the serious threat to game birds in Dhaka Municipality area, Bangladesh.

Ascaridia galli isolates with ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2 fragment homologous to Ascaridia columbae.

Ascaridia (A.) galli is one of the most commonly occurring nematodes in poultry worldwide, often in hens and broiler chickens. The infection with Ascaridia galli in free-range chickens was even 70%. There is not much information about A. galli genetic features. The present study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity of A. galli isolated from hens in Poland by analyzing the nucleotide sequence of the region ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2 and to define its homology within the family Ascaridiidae. Adult A. galli were collected from the intestines of naturally infected hens from two flocks of free-run laying hens from the Wielkopolska region in Poland. From all parasites an identical ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2 sequence was obtained, which was homologous in 99% with A. columbae (JQ995321.1) sequence. The high homology sequences of A. galli (KX683286) from Poland and A. columbae (JQ995321.1) isolate from the USA, support the observations of other authors suggesting that A. galli and A. columbae might be closely related. It is the first whole ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2 of A. galli in the GenBank database, so there is not enough data for detailed phylogenetic analysis of A. galli. Detailed genetic analysis is necessary to get better insight into the birds' Ascaridia species.

Ascaridia galli infection induced gross-pathological changes in broiler chicken

Ascaridia galli infection induced gross-pathological changes in broiler chicken

Performance, egg quality, and liver lipid reserves of free-range laying hens naturally infected with Ascaridia galli.

A study was conducted to determine the performance, egg quality, and liver lipid reserves of laying hens exposed to ranges contaminated with Ascaridia galli. Sixteen-week-old Lohmann Brown laying hens (n = 200) were divided into 4 treatments with 5 replicates containing 10 hens per pen. Hens of treatment 1 [negative control (NC)] ranged on a decontaminated area, and hens of treatments 2 (low infection) and 3 (medium infection) ranged on areas previously contaminated by hens artificially infected with 250 and 1,000 embryonated A. galli eggs, respectively. The hens of treatment 4 [positive control (PC)] ranged on areas previously contaminated by hens artificially infected with 2,500 embryonated A. galli eggs, and in addition these hens were orally inoculated with 1,000 embryonated eggs. Results indicated that hens of the medium infection group had a higher number of intestinal A. galli worms and A. galli eggs in the coprodeum excreta (43.9 ± 4.0 and 3,437± 459 eggs/g) compared to hens of the low infection group (23.8 ± 4.0 and 1,820± 450 eggs/g) (P < 0.01) and similar worm counts to PC hens (34.4 ± 4.0 and 2,918± 474) (P>0.05). Egg production, egg mass, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not affected by A. galli infection (P > 0.05). Egg quality parameters (egg weight, shell reflectivity, shell weight, shell thickness, shell percentage, shell breaking strength, deformation, albumen height, Haugh unit, and yolk score) were not affected by A. galli infection (P > 0.05). Highly infected hens had lower liver lipid content (2.72± 0.51g) compared to uninfected hens (4.46± 0.58g, P < 0.01). The results indicate that exposure to ranges contaminated with A. galli resulted in infection of the ranging hens, but this did not affect egg production or egg quality. Infection with A. galli lowered the liver lipid reserves of the host significantly, suggesting infected hens use more energy reserves for maintenance and production.

Frequency of anti-Toxocara antibodies in broiler chickens in southern Brazil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies in naturally infected broiler chickens (n = 189) from the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. The chickens were reared in a semi-intensive system by small family farmers (n = 7). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the presence of anti- Toxocara spp. IgY after serum adsorption with Ascaridia galli antigens. An overall seroprevalence of 67.7% (128/189; 95% CI = 61.1-74.4) was observed. The frequency of positive animals by farm ranged from 29.6% to 100%. The optical density and reactivity index values observed in ELISA test indicated the possible chronicity of infection of the evaluated chickens. Associations between the presence of antibodies and the area where the chickens were reared (p = 0.382) or the population density of dogs on the farm (p = 0.785) were not observed. This study shows a high prevalence of Toxocara spp. antibodies in broiler chickens reared in semi-intensive systems and provides evidence that chickens are a good indicator of environmental contamination by larva migrans agents. Further studies are necessary to assess the risk factors associated with poultry infection and the likelihood of toxocariasis transmission to humans via the ingestion of free-range chicken meat.

Prevalence and burden of gastrointestinal helminthes among grey-breasted helmet guinea fowls (Numida meleagris galeata) encountered in Gombe state, Nigeria

This cross sectional survey was conducted from July to December 2015 in order to investigate the burden of gastrointestinal helminthes among guinea fowls in Gombe, Northeastern Nigeria. A total of six hundred fowls (viscera) were purchased from six randomly selected slaughter slabs. Out of the 600 birds examined, 479 (79.83%; 95% CI: 76.4, 82.9) were found harbouring one or more gastrointestinal helminthes. Of this, 238 birds (39.7%; 35.8, 43.6) were infected by nematode species and 392 birds (65.3%; 61.4, 69.0) by cestode species. A total of nine nematodes and seven cestodes species were recovered from these birds. There was no any trematode observed among the studied birds. The prevalences of the nematodes identified in descending order were: Ascaridia galli 56.7% (52.7, 60.6); Ascaridia numidae 38.0% (34.2, 42.0); Heterakis gallinarum 17.2% (14.4, 20.4); Heterakis meleagridis 8.3% (6.4, 10.8); Strongyloides avium 3.5% (2.3, 5.3); Subulura brumpti 3.2% (2.0, 5.0); Gongylonema ingluvicola 2.2% (1.3, 3.7) and both Dispharynx spiralis and Tetrameres numidae had 0.7% (0.3, 1.7). While for cestodes: Raillietina tetragona 72.8% (69.1, 76.2); Raillietina echinobothrida 67.3% (63.5, 71.0); Raillietina cesticillus 50% (46.0, 54.0); Raillietina magninumida 25.7% (22.3, 29.3); Hymenolopsis cantaniana 17.3% (14.5, 20.6); Davainea nana 4.2% (2.8, 6.1) and the lowest was observed in Choanotaenia infundibulum with 2% (1.2, 3.5). Infection rates did not differ significantly based on sex (P > 0.05). However, the occurrence of mixed infection as compared with single infection was statistically significant in both cestodes and nematodes (P < 0.001). The results obtained indicated high prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthes among guinea fowls. These birds may serve as important source of helminthes to other commercial birds in the study area.

Botanicals: a natural approach to control ascaridiosis in poultry

Parasites (protozoa, helminthes, arthropods) represent a main threat for poultry worldwide. Among helminthes, nematodes constitute the most important group of parasites of poultry. The nematode Ascaridia galli, the cause of ascaridiosis in poultry, is one of the most important and prevalent parasites, resulting in serious economic losses, associated with the treatment cost, the decreased feed efficiency, and the poor egg and meat production. During the past few decades the indiscriminate use of anthelmintic drugs has generated several cases of resistance in helminthes in poultry, situation which is coupled with the severity of residues in poultry products. For this reason, nowadays attention has been drawn to the use of botanicals in poultry diet, due to their anthelmintic properties. Furthermore, the dietary use eco-friend ly of these plant derived substances compared to conventional synthetic anthelmintic drugs is considered as a natural and ecofriendly approach by the consumers. The focus of the present review is to recapitulate the studies, both in vivo and in vitro, that have demonstrated the anthelmintic efficacy of various dietary botanicals in controlling poultry ascaridiosis.

Detection of Ascaridia galli infection in free-range laying hens

Reliable methods for detection of A. galli infection using excreta egg count (EEC) and ELISA assays to determine A. galli specific IgY levels in serum and yolk samples were compared from hens infected naturally and artificially. Artificially infected hens were used to generate samples for analysis of preferred detection methods and to generate contaminated ranges for use in the naturally acquired infection study in which Lohmann Brown hens (n = 200) at 16 weeks of age were randomly assigned to four treatments with five replicate pens. Hens of negative control (NC) ranged on a decontaminated area, hens of low infection, medium infection and positive control (PC) ranged on the areas previously contaminated by hens artificially infected with 250, 1000 and 2500 A. galli eggs/hen, respectively. Additionally, hens of PC were orally infected with 1000 A. galli eggs/hen. Anti A. galli antibody levels in hen serum (SIgY) and yolk (YIgY) were measured before range access, and 2, 7 and 12 weeks after access to the contaminated ranges. In a natural infection study, eggs were detected in the excreta of all hens 4 weeks after range access, with the exception of NC in which no eggs were detected. EEC increased to reach maximum value (2204 ± 307 eggs/g) after 11 weeks of range access and then declined at 12 weeks (905 ± 307eggs/g) (p < 0.01). While SIgY OD values were not different in hens between any groups before range access, after 2 weeks, both SIgY and YIgY gradually increased in hens of PC (1.17 ± 0.03 and 0.88 ± 0.04) and medium infection (1.07 ± 0.03 and 0.96 ± 0.04) compared to low infection (0.38 ± 0.03 and 0.29 ± 0.04) (p < 0.01) and NC. After 12 weeks, SIgY were similar in hens of PC, medium and low groups whereas YIgY was higher in hens of low infection group (p < 0.01). Sensitivity of the serum and egg yolk antibody levels assay to detect A. galli infection was 100% and 96%, respectively, whereas the pooled EEC method yielded a sensitivity of 93%. The results of this study suggest that hens naturally infected with A. galli produce both SIgY and YIgY at different levels depending on the infection intensity and duration of exposure which allows the diagnosis of prior infection or early diagnosis of current infection. Use of the practical and non-invasive method of yolk sample analysis for detecting IgY can be just as informative as using serum samples to detect A. galli infection.

Developmental capacity of Ascaridia galli eggs is preserved after anaerobic storage in faeces

The reliability of the results of in vitro studies such as detection of anthelmintic resistance often depends on the ability of the parasite eggs to develop under laboratory conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the embryonation capability of the chicken roundworm Ascaridia galli eggs after storage under different conditions. Two storage media for parasite eggs were used; faeces or water. Eggs in petri dishes (90 dishes in total) containing faces or water media were first exposed either to aerobic or anaerobic conditions at different temperatures (4 °C /+O2, 4 °C /−O2, 25 °C/−O2) for a maximum of 72 days. Every second week, materials from petri dishes in triplicates were recovered and incubated aerobically for two weeks at 25 °C. After the incubation, 200–300 eggs from each petri shish (sampling unit) were counted and the number of embryonated eggs was determined. Data was analyzed in R (version 3.4.3) A logistic regression model with the probability of an egg to embryonate as dependent variable and conditions, storage medium and time points as fixed effects with quasibinomial distribution was run. Least-square means were calculated and pairwise comparisons were made with the fixed effect factors (condition, storage medium and time point). Eggs in faeces had a significantly (p ˂ 0.05) higher embryonation than those in water, irrespective of storage conditions. At 4 °C embryonation tended to decline over time under aerobic conditions irrespective of the storage medium, whereas it remained constant following storage at anaerobic conditions. In contrast, anaerobic storage at the 25 °C negatively affected egg development in both media, except for day 14 in faeces. Our major finding was that eggs in faeces under anaerobic conditions and at 4 °C retained the highest rate of development, with a minimum decline in their developmental capacity over time compared to cleaned eggs stored in water.

Time- and dose-dependent development of humoral immune responses to Ascaridia galli in experimentally and naturally infected chickens

Factors affecting the development of Ascaridia galli–specific humoral responses and their protective roles are largely unknown. We investigated the effects of time and infection dose on A. galli–specific IgY antibody levels following experimental infection. The acquisition and development of new infections and reinfections were also monitored by using tracer birds. Relationships between the retrospective IgY and the final worm burden of the birds were investigated to determine whether humoral immune responses generated during infection provide protection to the host animal.Young chickens were infected (+) with either 100 or 1000 embryonated eggs of A. galli (100+: n = 45; 1000+: n = 45) or kept as uninfected controls (CON: n = 10). Uninfected birds were also added to each infection group as tracer (T) birds (T100+; n = 5 and T1000+; n = 5). Faecal egg counts and IgY antibody concentrations in plasma and egg yolk were determined at selected intervals. Final worm burdens were quantified at 28 weeks post infection (wpi).The plasma antibody (PAB) and egg yolk antibody (EAB) levels of experimentally infected birds were compared to those of control and tracer birds throughout the study period, and PAB levels were found to depend initially on the infection dose but thereafter mainly on reinfections. Starting at wpi 2, 1000+ had consistently higher PAB levels than CON did (P < 0.05). With exceptions at wpi 0, 2 and 12, PAB levels were also higher (P < 0.05) or tended to be higher (P < 0.10) in 100+ than in CON. An earlier and higher increase was observed in the PAB levels of T1000+ than in those of T100+, implying that (re-)infection occurrence depended on the infection dose. Although 1000+ showed higher (P < 0.05) EAB levels than CON did at both wpi 14 and 18, EAB levels were higher in 100+ than in CON only at wpi 28 (P < 0.05). The total worm burdens in the initial experimentally infected birds were similar (P = 0.257); they were also highly comparable between experimentally and naturally infected birds, indicating that final worm burden was mainly determined by the naturally occurring infections resulting from continuous exposure. When all available information on the retrospective plasma and egg yolk IgY levels was collectively evaluated to estimate the larval or total worm burdens of the experimentally infected birds, both PAB and EAB levels at particular wpi were significantly associated with worm burden, especially with larval count. In conclusion, our data support the hypothesis that the number of larvae, rather than the number of mature worms, affects the antibody levels in both plasma and egg yolk. Despite the increased levels of A. galli–specific antibodies in plasma and egg yolk throughout the study period, only a weak indication was found that antibodies might be directly associated with protection.

Anthelmintic Activity of Ethanol Extract of Polygonum minus Leaves against Ascaridia galli

Anthelmintic Activity of Ethanol Extract of Polygonum minus Leaves against Ascaridia galli Dara Agusti Maulidya1, Muhammad Ibnu Kahtan2, Diana Natalia2, Mitra Handini3, Ari Widiyantoro4 1University of Tanjungpura, Faculty of Medicine, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia 2University of Tanjungpura, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia 3University of Tanjungpura, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia 4University of Tanjungpura, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Department of Chemistry, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia ABSTRACT Objectives: Helminth infection is one of the main matters that cause health problems in developing countries. Polygonum minus are empirically used as an anthelmintic drug, but there has been no scientific study that proves it. Methods: This study was aimed at determining the anthelmintic activity of ethanol extract of Polygonum minus leaves against Ascaridia galli in vitro. The extract was prepared in three different concentrations i.e 0.5 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL. NaCl 0.9% was used as a negative control group and albendazole 0.2 mg/mL, a broad spectrum anthelmintic was used as a positive control group. Ascaridia galli was used as the test parasite. The study involved the determination of death time of the worms. Results: The death time of the worms that caused by the extract concentration 0.5 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL, respectively were (mean±SD) 35±3.32 hours, 32.8±2.39 hours and 25±3.39 hours. The death time that caused by negative and positive control group were 76.6±8.30 hours and 19.2±1.48 hours. There is no significant difference of death time of the worms between the extract concentration 2 mg/mL and the positive control group. Conclusion: The anthelmintic activity of ethanol extract of Polygonum minus leaves has been confirmed and extract concentration 2 mg/mL has the same anthelmintic activity with albendazole 0.2 mg/mL. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2018; 8(1):23-26 Keywords: Anthelmintic, Polygonum minus, Ascaridia galli, ascariasis