title: Prevalence of Ascaridia galli in white leghorn layers and Fayoumi-Rhode Island red crossbred flock at government poultry farm Dina, Punjab, Pakistan.
abstract: Poultry farming not only provides high nutritious food but also creates employment opportunity for rural masses. Documented evidences elaborates that helminth parasitism is most deciduous problem of chickens especially in developing world. Ascaridia (A.) galli, a nematode of small intestine, has been considered as the most common and important parasite of chicken. The present study was carried out to investigate prevalence and severity of A. galli in White Leghorn layers (housing type: battery cage and deep litter, 50 each) and Fayoumi-Rhode Island Red crossbred (male and female: 50 each) flock rearing at Government Poultry Farm, Dina, Punjab, Pakistan. Two hundred faecal samples were examined by using standard parasitological and McMaster egg counting technique. The overall prevalence was 24.5% at farm, 13% in White leghorn layer (battery cage=2%, deep litter=24%) and 36% in Fayoumi-Rhode Island Red (male=34%, female=38%). It was also observed that White leghorn layer rearing in deep litter had more severe infection (EPG=1920) of A. galli compare with battery cages birds (EPG=500). Parasite prevalence was significantly related with sex (P<0.05) in Fayoumi-Rhode Island Red and male birds had less number of average parasites (0.34±0.47) as compared to females (0.38±0.490). Additionally, female birds were under serious threat of infection (EPG=2270) compared with its counterpart (EPG=1250). Given the high infection rates, particular attention should be paid to management and provision of feed supplement to White leghorn layer housing in deep litter and female bird of Fayoumi-Rhode Island Red crossbred.
authors: Government Poultry Farm Dina, Punjab, Pakistan.
authors: Allah Bachaya
authors: AB
authors: Hafiz
authors: University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Sub-campus Dera Ghazi Khan), Pakistan.
authors: Asif Raza
authors: AR
authors: Muhammad
authors: Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
authors: Ashraf Anjum
authors: AA
authors: Muhammad
authors: Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
authors: Ahmad Khan
authors: AK
authors: Imran
authors: Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
authors: Aziz
authors: A
authors: Abdul
authors: Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, Isra University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors: Manzoor
authors: M
authors: Zahid
authors: Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, Isra University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors: Hussain Munawar
authors: HM
authors: Shaukat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001197:Ascaridia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001198:Ascaridiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence