Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ornithostrongylus worm infection in a racing pigeon explained
By Ledwoń, Aleksandra et al.·Published in The Journal of parasitology·2023·Department of Pathology and Veterinary Diagnostics·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF ORNITHOSTRONGYLUS QUADRIRADIATUS ISOLATED FROM A RACING PIGEON (COLUMBA LIVIA DOMESTICA).
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A racing pigeon was found to have an infestation of a rare parasite called Ornithostrongylus quadriradiatus, along with a mild infection from other organisms. The pigeon showed signs of increased appetite, dark-green feces, and a lack of typical male behavior, but was otherwise in good condition. Unfortunately, the bird had a permanent wing injury that prevented it from flying, leading to its euthanasia. A postmortem examination confirmed the presence of the parasites in the intestines, causing inflammation.
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Abstract
An infestation of Ornithostrongylus quadriradiatus, has been found in a racing pigeon Columba livia domestica). In addition, this individual had a mild infection with Trichomonas spp. and Eimeria spp. The bird showed symptoms of increased appetite; unformed, dark- green feces; and lack of typical male behavior, but the general condition of this pigeon was good. The pigeon was euthanized because of a permanent inability to fly due to an injury to the wing. A postmortem examination revealed the presence of very small dark-pink twisted nematodes with the morphology of O. quadriradiatus in the small intestine, mainly the duodenum. Histopathology showed segmental inflammatory changes in the intestines caused by both blood-sucking nematodes and Eimeria spp. The 5.8S ribosomal ribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction amplicons from deoxyribonucleic acid extracted from O. quadriradiatus had 82.40% identity with Australostrongylus victoriensis and 81.20% with Travassostrongylus spp. This is the first molecular characterization of O. quadriradiatus-a relatively rare pigeon parasite.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37944598/