Blood and Gastrointestinal Parasites of Chickens and Turkeys Reared in the Tropical Rainforest Zone of Southeastern Nigeria

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Author(s)    

M. N. Opara^1*, D. K. Osowa², J. A. Maxwell³

Affiliation(s)

¹Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.
²Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
³Department of Health Services, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

The blood and gastrointestinal (GI) parasites of chickens and turkeys reared in Owerri, Southeastern Nigeria were studied. Out of 5600 birds, 5040 (90%) were chickens and 560 (10%) were turkeys. Of these birds, 672 (12%) were infected with blood parasites, of which 448 (8.9%) were chickens and 224 (40%) turkeys. The blood parasites found in chickens were Leucocytozoon sp., with a prevalence rate of 448 (8.9%) occurring in both male and female chickens examined. Plasmodium sp. was found in the turkeys and it gave a prevalence of 224 (40%). 1792 (32%) of the birds were infected with faecal parasites, out of which, 1456 (28.9%) were chickens and 336 (60%) turkeys examined. Ascaridia sp. infected 1232 (24.4%) of the chickens and 336 (60%) of the turkeys were examined. The only cestode observed was Raillietina spp., which infected 224 (4.4%) of the chickens, but none in the turkeys. Generally, low blood and faecal infections were observed in the chickens, while infections in the turkeys were slightly higher.

KEYWORDS

Blood, Gastrointestinal, Chickens, Turkeys, Tropical Rainforest, Nigeria

Cite this paper

Opara, M. , Osowa, D. and Maxwell, J. (2014) Blood and Gastrointestinal Parasites of Chickens and Turkeys Reared in the Tropical Rainforest Zone of Southeastern Nigeria. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 4, 308-313. doi: 10.4236/ojvm.2014.412037.

 

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