Prevalence and seasonal fluctuations of ectoparasites infesting backyard turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo, in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria

Abstract

A systematic survey was conducted during two consecutive years, August 2009 to July 2011, to study the prevalence, abundance and seasonal fluctuations of ectoparasites of turkeys in Sokoto and its environs. The ectoparasites were recovered from the birds using the dust-ruffling technique, fixed in 70% alco­hol and identified microscopically following clearing in lactophenol. The results, based on examination of 265 birds, revealed a high prevalence and a high par­asite diversity with no less than 12 species recorded. In decreasing order of prevalence, ectoparasites recorded included four louse species (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera and Amblycera): Lipeurus tropicalis (78%, hitherto unknown from turkeys), Menacanthus stramineus (48%), Goniocotes gallinae (35%), and Chelopistes meleagridis (33%). Two species of ticks (Acari: Metastigmata) were found: Argas persicus (50%) and Hyalomma impressum (10%). Five parasitic mites (Acari: Astigmata and Mesostigmata) were observed: Bdellonyssus bursa (45%), Megninia cubitalis (32%), Epidermoptes bilobatus (20%), Freyana chanayi (12%) and Cnemidocoptes mutans (10%). Only one flea species (Siphonaptera: Cera­tophylloidea), Echidnophaga gallinacea, was found. Many infestations consisted of a few to a dozen individuals per bird, but L. tropicalis and B. bursa were very abundant and could reach thousands of individuals on some birds, and A. persicus, M. stramineus and E. gallinacea were abundant, sometimes with hundreds of individuals, on some others. Infestations fluctuated seasonally and were more often present in the hot dry season (p < 0.01) and the warm wet sea­son (p < 0.05) than in the cool dry harmattan season. The findings suggest the need to develop effective preventive and control options to deal with ectopara­sites which flourish in numbers and diversity in the area.