Therapeutic management of ascariasis in a poultry farm: A case report

Introduction

Ascaridia galli is a roundworm classified under the Phylum Nematoda, Class Chromadorea, Order Ascaridida, and Family Ascaridiidae (Tarbiat, 2018) [8,9] . It is characterised by a long, cylindrical body with sexual dimorphism. Male Ascaridia galli are smaller measuring 50-76 mm in length and have a curved tail while females range from 72-116 mm and appear straight. The mouth of this nematodes have three lips-one dorsal and two subventral and the oesophagus without a posterior bulb (Bhatia et. al. 2024) [1] . The life cycle of Ascaridia galliis a direct with only one host. In the life cycle, sexually developed adult worms live in the small intestine of the host, where they lay eggs. The eggs then excreted through faeces. (Shohana et al., 2023) [4] The eggs are oval in shaped with three protected layers namely the vitelline membrane the inner permeable layer, a thick protective layer and a thin albuminous layer (Perry and Wharton, 2011) [7] which prevents the egg from desiccation thereby maintains for extended period of time. Ascaridia galli develop larvae within them rather than hatching outside in the environment. These larvae continue to moult until they reach the third larval stage (L3), which is the infective stage. The development of egg into the infectious (L3) stage takes around 11 to 12 days (Tarbiat et al., 2018) [8,9] . The primary route of transmission for Ascaridia galli is the consumption of contaminated feed and water. The clinical signs and symptoms in poultry involve anorexia, droopiness, anaemia, weakness, ruffled feathers, decreased in egg production in layer, diarrhoea, soiled vent, and loss of body weight (Brar et al., 2016) [2] . Early diagnosis can control the morbidity rate. Faecal examination by floatation technique, post-mortem examination in the small intestine of death bird. ELISA technique by Oladosu et al. (2022) [5] . Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay in association with a lateral flow dipstick (LAMP-LFD) test for identification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) that aids in the visual detection of A. galli eggs in faecal samples. (Panich et al. (2023) [6] .

Clinical History, Observations and Diagnosis

In a stock of 50 BV300 birds reared under the deep litter system at the College Poultry Farm, a female bird exhibiting droopiness, loss of appetite, soiled vent, and weakness was observed. After being isolated for a few days, the bird passed away, and a post-mortem examination was subsequently conducted. No abnormal lesions were detected in the visceral organs. However, upon incision of the intestine, a roundworm-like morphology was observed. Suspecting it to be a nematode species, the specimen was preserved in formalin solution and sent to the Department of Veterinary Parasitology for morphological examination and species identification. Under microscopic examination, the parasite was identified as Ascaridia galli as depicted in Fig. 1.

Fig 1: Ascaridia galli

Treatment and Discussion

Upon confirmation of the worm species, the remaining unaffected birds were administered piperazine citrate orally at a dose of 440 mg per liter of drinking water for 24 hours for 2 days. On the third day of treatment, a vitamin and mineral supplement (Ambiplex suspension) was administered in the drinking water for 7 days to the flock. All the birds were then closely monitored for 14 days for any abnormal signs or symptoms, along with the strict implementation of biosecurity practices on the farm. During the observation period, all birds remained normal and did not show any adverse signs or symptoms. A similar treatment was reported by Rahul et al. (2023) [3] , which successfully relieved Ascaridia infection in a flock. Early detection and isolation of affected birds can help protect the rest of the flock.

Conclusion

Poultry farming is a fast-growing industry; however, despite its promising growth, many poultry farmers have limited knowledge about parasitic problems. If these infections are not detected at an early stage, there is a high risk of economic losses, particularly for low-income farmers. To overcome these challenges effectively, poultry farmers must possess adequate knowledge of common parasitic infections and the factors that lead to parasitic infestations. Therefore, early detection, prevention, and control of parasitic infections are essential to reduce the mortality rate in birds.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgmentAuthors acknowledge Dean, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jalukie, Nagaland for support and facilities. Source of Support: Nil

References

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