Volume 85, Issues 3–4, 2016, Pages 152–159
Eucoleus contortus-Parasitismus in Menschenobhut gezüchteter Schopfwachteln Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798): Krankheit und Kontrolle
- a Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
- b Instituto Federal Catarinense de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia, Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brasil
- c Laboratório de Helmintoses. UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
- Received 20 October 2015, Available online 5 February 2016
Abstract
After the introduction of an infected valley quail into a colony, Eucoleus contortus
became a severe problem. Despite previous treatment with anthelmintics,
four out of nine quails were affected and died due to disease
complications. Major clinical signs were profuse oral mucous secretion,
frequent swallowing movements, and whitish diarrhea. Main pathological
findings included thickened and wrinkled crop walls, parasites deeply
embedded in the stratified squamous epithelium, and diffuse mucosa
hyperplasia. Keeping the remaining quails in a wire mesh-floored aviary
under treatment with levamisole and applying management practices to the
dirt floor aviaries (temporary depopulation, bedding exchange and
liming) promoted the health and growth of the quail colony. Apparently,
the anthelmintics given to these birds had little effect on the control
of the disease. Regularly treatments decreased temporarily the egg
counts, which increased again during periods (breeding season) in dirt
floor aviaries, even after applying the aforementioned environmental
measures. This paper highlights the importance of adopting appropriate
health management practices to both prevent and control E. contortus
infection in susceptible avian flocks housed in outdoor aviaries with
dirt floor, often a necessary condition in bird conservation programs.
Keywords
- Bird management;
- Aviary management;
- Captive-bred valley quail;
- E. contortus control;
- Thickened crop wall
Copyright © 2016 Published by Elsevier GmbH
