AIR SAC PARASITES OF THE GENUS Serratospiculum IN FALCONS

Transcription

1 AIR SA PARASITES OF THE GENUS Serrtospiculum IN FALONS Authors: F. PRESOTT WARD, nd DAVID G. FAIRHILD Source: Journl of Wildlife Diseses, 8(2) : Published By: Wildlife Disese Assocition URL: BioOne omplete (complete.bioone.org) is full-text dtbse of 2 subscribed nd open-ccess titles in the biologicl, ecologicl, nd environmentl sciences published by nonprofit societies, ssocitions, museums, institutions, nd presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne omplete website, nd ll posted nd ssocited content indictes your cceptnce of BioOne s Terms of Use, vilble t Usge of BioOne omplete content is strictly limited to personl, eductionl, nd non-commercil use. ommercil inquiries or rights nd permissions requests should be directed to the individul publisher s copyright holder. BioOne sees sustinble scholrly publishing s n inherently collbortive enterprise connecting uthors, nonprofit publishers, cdemic institutions, reserch librries, nd reserch funders in the common gol of mximizing ccess to criticl reserch. Downloded From: on 1/16/219

2 Journl of Wildlife Diseses Vol. 8, April, AIR SA PARASITES OF THE GENUS Serrtospiculum IN FALONS F. PRESOTT WARD nd DAVID G. FAIRHILD Biomedicl Lbortory, Edgewood Arsenl, Mrylnd 211 A hstrct: Nemtodes of the genus Serrto.spiculumn re common nd usully innocuous inhbitnts of the ir scs of severl species of flcons. However, the bdominl nd thorcic ir scs of pririe flcon (Flco mmzexicnus) tht died in respirtory distress were filled with hundreds of dult prsites. Illnesses in peregrine (Flco peregrinus tumzdrius) nd nother pririe flcon, tenttively dignosed s serrtospiculisis, were successfully treted with thibendzole given orlly. Embryonted ov were found in the feces of 8 of 73 flcons representing five species. INTRODUTION Air sc prsites of the genus Serrtospuulumn hve been reported often in flcons from mny prts of the world. The prsites hve frequently been found incidentlly t necropsy. Although they hve been described s innccuous orgnisms even when present in lrge numbers, the uthors of one study ssumed tht hevy ir sc infections of S. ncult were mjor contributing cuses in the deths of five pririe flcons (Flco mnexicnus). This report describes the lesions in pririe flcon tht probbly died due to the ir sc prsites, nd discusses signs, dignosis, nd therpy of serrtospiculisis in two other flcons. The occurrence of typicl embryonted ov nd other prsite eggs in fecl specimens from 73 wild nd cptive flcons is lso tbulted. se 1 A femle pririe flcon, bout 18 months old, ws cptured in New Mexico. She ppered to be in excellent helth nd plumge, but her feces were brown nd wtery. About 2 weeks fter cpture, the flcon s respirtion becme ccelerted, nd she refused food. She died within 2 dys. At necropsy the thorcic nd bdominl ir scs contined tngles of hundreds of lrge nemtodes, lter identified s S. mncult. Numerous embryonted ov were seen when fecl specimen ws exmined microscopiclly; the men dimensions of eleven ov were 52 x 3g. The nterior portion of the proventriculus ws covered with thick, yellow, dherent mteril. Representtive tissues from most orgns were fixed in 1% neutrl buffered formlin, embedded in prffin, sectioned t 6t, nd stined with hemtoxylin nd eosin. Other thn mild congestion nd edem, no lesions were seen in the lungs. The lesion in the proventriculus ws n ulcer in the epithelium covered with cseous exudte. Mteril which ppered to be degenerted prsite lrve, often surrounded by some clcifiction, ws interspersed throughout the exudte. Other tissues were norml. se 2 An immture femle peregrine flcon (Flco peregrinus tundrius) ws cptured during the utumn migrtion on the Mrylnd cost. She ppered helthy, nd fecl specimen collected shortly fter cpture did not contin prsite ov. Her diet consisted lmost exclusively of entire fresh pigeon crcsses. Four months fter cpture, her ppetite suddenly decresed nd she regurgitted severl hours fter ech feeding. On the 3rd dy of illness, flt yellow plque (bout 5 mm in dimeter) ppered on the right side of the phrynx. The plque ws removed esily, nd the underlying epithelium ppered to be intct. The lesion nd the history seemed Downloded From: on 1/16/219

3 166 Journl of Wildlife Diseses Vol. 8, April, 1972 typicl of trichomonisis, but no protozo were seen when the plque nd sliv were exmined microscopiclly. However, this mteril did contin mny embryonted ov (Figure 1). The feces contined few tremtode ov, few cpillrid ov, nd mny embryonted ov (men dimensions, 5l x 34/L). The flcon ws treted orlly with single dose of thibendzole* t dosge of 4 mg/lb, nd recovered uneventfully. About 2 months lter, only one cpillrid ovum ws observed in direct microscopic exmintion of severl slides of feces from this bird. by the owner for more thn week with no response. The femle escped, but the mle ws presented for exmintion. No trichomonds or ov were seen in mouth scrping exmined microscopiclly. The feces contined countless embryonted ov verging S4/L x 35s. The bird ws treted orlly with thibendzole t dosge of 4 mg/lb, nd begn to et normlly nd gin weight within 48 hours. Two weeks lter, few embryonted ov were seen in nother fecl specimen, nd the dose of thibendzole ws repeted. INIDENE OF EMBRYONATED OVA IN FALONS FIGURE 1. Prsite ovum typicl of Serrtospiculum sp. in sliv from peregrine flcon. se 3 A mle nd femle pririe flcon were tken from the nest. After nerly 5 months on diet of fresh pigeon crcsses, both birds suddenly begn vomiting, eting less, nd losing weight. Yellow plque-like lesions ppered in the mouth nd phrynx of both birds. They were treted with two trichomonicidl drugs During 5 yer period, fecl specimens were obtined from 73 flcons of seven species. Prsite ov were concentrted by mixing feces with sturted solution of sodium nitrte; tpeworm segments were observed grossly. Results re shown in Tble 1. Eight flcons, including three discussed erlier in this report, hd embryonted ov either typicl of the genus Serrtospiculumiz or spirurid prsites. In one immture pririe flcon the ov were slightly smller (45 x 3s) thn those from the previous cses. This bird ws lter necropsied, nd severl spirurids collected from the proventriculus were identified s Hrterh sp. Embryonted ov from wild dult peregrine flcon fell into two distinct size groups (55k x 43s nd 5, x 3k), suggesting infections with more thn one species producing this type of egg. Ov from the lnner, lugger, nd merlins were not mesured. DISUSSION Bsed on literture ccounts #{176} nd the cses seen in this study, serrtospiculisis is probbly not n innocuous infection. The clinicl syndrome could involve respirtory difficulty due to pthologic chnges in lungs nd ir scs, or gstro- Thibenzole#{174}, Sheep nd Got Wormer, Merck & o., Inc., Rhwy, New Jersey. Downloded From: on 1/16/219

4 Journl of Wildlife Diseses Vol. 8, April, \.9N r - - r- ri l : ri - r- -..., - - ri - -. E o - ri U E s - Le rj) ei e ri -, r e - r-. r-i ri - E.., O U- - >. o L) O.?. #{176} w c Downloded From: on 1/16/219

5 168 Journl of Wildlife Diseses Vol. 8, April, 1972 intestinl signs possibly due to invsion or irrittion of the proventriculr mucos by lrve or ov. In one cse, the incidentl discovery of ir sc prsites in peregrine could hve been relted to n unexplined ulcertion of the lining membrne of the thorcic portion of the gullet which hd perforted to produce pericrditis. A clinicl dignosis of serrtospiculisis could be bsed on rdiogrphic evidence of prsites in the bdominl or thorcic ir scs, the occurrence of embryonted ov in the mouth, especilly if ssocited with smll plque-like lesions, history of respirtory distress or signs of gstrointestinl upset, nd finding typicl embryonted ov in the feces. Mesurements pper to be vluble in differentiting Serrtospiculumn ov from those of spirurid prsites of the gstrointestinl trct. For exmple, dimensions of ov from se 1 (52e x 3c), se 2 (5lc x 3), nd se 3 (5 x 35s) were similr to Wehr s mesurements (54M x 29j.s), nd fll within the rnge given by Biglnd, et l. (45-57e x 3-35s). Also, ov of severl spirurids hve thicker shells thn Serrtospiculumn sp. o Although the efficcy of thibendzole in killing dult prsites or lrve could not be deterniined in this study, use of the drug coincided with clinicl improvement in two cses of suspected serrtospiculisis. LITERATURE ITED I. BAIN,., nd G. VASSILIADES ycle evolutif d un Dicheilonemtine, Serrtospiculumn tendo, Filire prsite du fucon. Ann. Prsitol. Hum. omp. 44: BIGLAND,. H., S-K. LIU, nd MARY LOU PERRY Five cses of Serrtospiculumn mncult (Nemtod: Filrioide) infection in pririe flcons (Flco mne.vicmius). Avin Dis. 8: OOPER, J. E Some diseses of birds of prey. Vet. Record 84: OOPER, J. E Two cses of pox in recently imported peregrine flcons (Flco peregrimius). Vet. Record 85: EZZAT, M. A., nd G. TADROS ontribution to the helminth fun of Belgin ongo birds. Ann. Mus. ongo BeIge, Tervuren, Zool. 69: JEFFERIES, D. J., nd I. PRESST Post-mortems of peregrines nd lnners with prticulr reference to orgnochlorine residues. British Birds. 59: SKRJABIN, K. I Key to Prsitic Nemntodes, Vol. IV. Izdtyelstvo Akdemii Nuk SSSR, Moscow. 8. WARD, F. P., D. G. FAIRHILD, nd JEANNE V. VUIIH Pulmonry spergillosis in pririe flcon nest mtes. J. Wildl. Dis. 6: WEHR, F. E New gener nd species of the nemtode superfmily Filroide. I. Serrbospiculumn mncult, n. sp. Proc. Helminth. Soc. Wsh. 5: YORKE, W., nd P. A. MAPLESTONE The Nemntode Prsites of Vertebrtes. Pges Hfner Publishing ompny, New York. Received for publiction December 14, 1971 Downloded From: on 1/16/219