Evaluation of Giardiasis in Companion Birds in Mashhad, Iran

Main Article Content

Farzin KazemiLifshagerd
Omid BehrouziNasab
Alireza Koochakzadeh
Majid Kazemnezhad

Abstract

Introduction: Giardia spp. are parasitic protozoans that infect the digestive system of ornamental birds, especially in Psittaciformes, with different prevalence in various species. Symptoms of Giardia infection vary from no noticeable signs in adult birds to poor growth, weakness, anorexia, ruffled feathers, and diarrhea in chicks. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of giardiasis in some parrots referred to a private veterinary clinic in Mashhad, Iran, during 2022.


Case report: Feces of 215 birds suspected of being infected with Giardia spp. were collected. The birds were visited at one of the clinics in Mashhad, Iran, in 2022. Wet smear was prepared from their fresh feces and then sent to the laboratory department of the clinic for diagnosis. The parrots included adult cockatiels, cockatiel chicks, lovebirds, African grey parrots, and Green-cheeked parakeets. After the final diagnosis, metronidazole was administered orally at a dosage of 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight every 12 hours for 5 consecutive days. Sick birds were tested again after the treatment to confirm they were parasite-free. The obtained results of the laboratory indicated 60 positive Cockatiels (47.6%), 10 positive cockatiel chicks (43.4%), 4 positive lovebirds (14.2%), 2 Green-cheeked parakeets (8.6%), and only 1 positive African grey parrot (6.6%). Among the positive cases, the severity of infection varied, with some birds showing severe, moderate, or mild infection levels. Upon a second examination, birds with mild and moderate contamination were found to be disease-free, while those with severe contamination required further treatment.


Conclusion: The results suggested that treatment with metronidazole for 5 consecutive days was effective against mild to moderate infection in sick parrots. However, birds with severe conditions need to continue the treatment procedure.

Article Details

How to Cite
KazemiLifshagerd, F., BehrouziNasab, O., Koochakzadeh, A., & Kazemnezhad, M. (2023). Evaluation of Giardiasis in Companion Birds in Mashhad, Iran. Journal of World’s Poultry Science, 2(3), 20–23. https://doi.org/10.58803/jwps.v2i3.16
Section
Case Report

References

Abe N, Makino I, and Kojima A. Molecular characterization of Giardia psittaci by multilocus sequence analysis. Infect Genet Evol. 2012; 12(8): 1710-1716. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2012.08.003

Reboredo-Fernandez A, Ares-mazás E, Cacciò SM, and Gómez-couso H.Occurrence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in wild birds in Galicia (Northwest Spain). Parasitology. 2015; 142(7): 917-925. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182015000049

Ryan U, and Cacciò SM. Zoonotic potential of Giardia. Int J Parasitol. 2013; 43(12-13): 943-956. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.06.001

Doneley B. Avian medicine and surgery in practice: Companion and aviary birds. Boca Raton: CRC press; 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315371047

Schmidt R, Reavill D, and Phalen D. Gastrointestinal system and pancreas. Pathology of pet and aviary birds. 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2003. p. 55-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1638/1042-7260(2003)034[0423:BR]2.0.CO;2

Hosseinian SA. Zoonotic diseases associated with pet birds. J Zoonotic Dis. 2022; 6(3): 91-112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22034/jzd.2022.15461

Doneley RJT. Bacterial and parasitic diseases of parrots. Vet Clin N Exot Anim Pract. 2009; 12(3): 417-432. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2009.06.009

Filippich LJ, Mcdonnell PA, Munoz E, and Upcroft JA. Giardia infection in budgerigars. Aust Vet J. 1998; 76(4): 246-249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1998.tb10148.x

McRoberts KM, Meloni BP, Morgan UM, Marano R, Binz N, Erlandsen SL, et al. Morphological and molecular characterization of Giardia isolated from the straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) in Western Australia. J Parasitol Res. 1996; 82(5): 711-718. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3283880

Majewska AC, Graczyk TK, Słodkowicz-Kowalska A, Tamang L, Jedrzejewski S, Zduniak P, et al. The role of free-ranging, captive, and domestic birds of Western Poland in environmental contamination with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and Giardia lamblia cysts. Parasitol Res. 2009; 104: 1093-1099. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1293-9

Tully TN, Dorrestein GM, and Jones AK, editors. Handbook of avian medicine. New York: Elsevier, Saunders; 2009. Available at: https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1130282272956430592

Papini R, Girivetto M, Marangi M, Mancianti F, and Giangaspero A. Endoparasite infections in pet and zoo birds in Italy. Sci World J. 2012; 2012: 253127 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1100/2012/253127

Yamashita T, Hirai K, Shimakura S, ITOH K, HIRATA A, and HASHIMOTO A. Recent occurrence of chlamydiosis and giardiasis in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) in Japan. Jpn J Vet Sci. 1981; 43(6): 963-965. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms1939.43.963

Sandoval-Rodríguez A, Marcone D, Alegría-Morán R, Larraechea M, Yévenes K, Fredes F, et al. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in free-ranging introduced monk parakeets from Santiago, Chile. Animals. 2021; 11(3): 801. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030801

Khalil N. Prevalence of Giardia spp in pet shop birds. J Vet.Res. 2018; 22(8): 736-738. Available at: https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20193021023

Most read articles by the same author(s)