abstract
Parasites may affect the dynamics of bird populations. Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus are well-known avian haematozoa that can trigger decreased productivity and high mortality in domesticated birds. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus) against 335 birds of 8 species in the Yazd province in central Iran. To detect blood parasites, Giemsa-stained blood smears were prepared. Of the birds, 11.64% (39/335) were infected with at least one parasite genus, particularly Haemoproteus (32.6%; 23/335). The total prevalence values for Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were 1.7, 6.8 and 2.9%, respectively. Plasmodium had lower prevalence rates of 1.7% (6/335). Among birds, pigeons, hens and ducks have the highest prevalence of Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon and Plasmodium parasites at 1.7%, 6.8% and 2.9%, respectively. Results from this research extend our knowledge on the incidence of avian blood parasites in domesticated birds living in central Iran. The overall low incidence of avian blood parasites in birds was found in the Yazd province, Iran.
keywords
PREVALENCE
subject category
Veterinary Sciences
authors
Mirzaei, F; Siyadatpanah, A; Norouzi, R; Pournasir, S; Nissapatorn, V; Pereira, MD
our authors
Maria de Lourdes Gomes Pereira
Associate Professor with Aggregationacknowledgements
The authors thank all their colleagues working at the Department of parasitology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd province, Iran. M.d.L.P. thanks Project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020.