| Title | Identification of Ascaridia numidae in guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) and association with elevated mortality. | | Author(s) | Robbins KM, Ye W, Fletcher OJ | | Institution | Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA. | | Source | Avian Dis 2011 Mar; 55(1):151-4. | | MeSH | Animals
Ascaridia
Ascaridiasis
Base Sequence
DNA, Helminth
Disease Outbreaks
Galliformes
Jejunum
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Poultry Diseases
| | Abstract | An outbreak of ascaridiasis occurred in 10-wk-old guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) on a commercial farm. Birds had exhibited elevated mortality (11.66%) in the previous week, as well as increased water consumption, weakness, anorexia, and stunted growth. Numerous nematodes, occasionally occluding the intestinal lumen, were present in the jejunum and ileum and were identified as Ascaridia numidae based on microscopic morphology. Ribosomal DNA 18S and 28S D3 sequences of the nematode were deposited into GenBank and found to be most similar to Ascaridia galli and Toxocara vitulorum, respectively; sequences for A. numidae had not been previously reported. Treatment with piperazine sulfate significantly reduced the number of adult worms in the intestines, greatly decreased eggs per gram of feces, relieved clinical signs in the flock, and returned the flock mortality back to expected levels. All findings implicate A. numidae as the cause of elevated mortality in this flock. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 21500654 |
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