Incidence of Haemoproteus columbae in pigeons of Jammu district

First report of the morphological and molecular characterization of Pseudolynchia canariensis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia

This study aims to study the morphological and molecular characterization of (Pseudolynchia canariensis; Macquart, 1839)in the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia. Ninety-four pigeons were obtained from traditional pigeon breeding farms of the Al-Baha region, and fly samples were collected. Taxonomic keys were used to define the morphology of flies, whereas molecular characteristics were identified based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1. The rate of Pseudolynchia canariensis infestation in the examined pigeons was 44.5%. The genetic sequences of the fly samples were deposited in GenBank (accession number OQ073507). The match rate between the fly samples from the present study and those previously recorded in GenBank (accession numbers: EF531220, OM073981, and MW853922) displayed 99.66%. This study demonstrates that Pseudolynchia canariensis is common in the Al-Baha region; thus, further studies are required to detect other species from the same genus and their geographical distribution.

Keds, the enigmatic flies and their role as vectors of pathogens

Hippoboscid flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), commonly known as keds or louse flies, have been for long time overlooked by the scientific community, and their vector role of infectious agents to humans and domestic animals has been scantly investigated. This is partly due to the fact that the host range for most species is primarily restricted to wildlife, being rarely reported on domestic animals and humans. This led to a scarce scientific knowledge about their biology, ecology, behaviour, epidemiology as well as vector competence. However, the life history of some hippoboscid species, e.g., Melophagus ovinus, Lipoptena cervi and Hippobosca equina, suggests that these ectoparasites are important candidates to vector infectious disease agents (e.g., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Theileria ovis). Indeed, the peculiar biological and behavioural traits (i.e., obligatory blood sucking and reproductive physiology) of many ked species make them a suitable pabulum for pathogen's multiplication and for their transmission to receptive hosts. Therefore, studies focusing on the ked bio-ecological aspects as well as on their vector role are advocated along with the control of keds affecting different animal species. This review discusses current information on keds, highlighting their importance as vectors of pathogens of medical and veterinary concern to all animal species, with a special focus on mammals.

Phylogenetical analysis of partially sequenced cytb gene of Haemoproteus columbae in pigeons and its pathological lesions in Egypt

BACKGROUND

Haemoproteus columbae is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, causing pseudomalaria in pigeons.

AIMS

The current study aimed to characterize the phylogenetic position of H. columbae in pigeons in Sharkia province, Egypt, based on partial sequencing of the cytb gene as the conserved regions. The "DNA barcode" of the cytb gene helps in designing primers that can be used to amplify the same gene in the related haemosporidians. Methods: One hundered blood samples were collected from domestic pigeons to identify H. columbae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and detect its relationship with other related haemosporidians.

RESULTS

Weight losses of 60%, anemia 40%, low growth rates 26.67%, diarrhea 76.67%, dyspnea 66.67%, some neurological symptoms 33.33%, and death 16.67% were observed in the studied birds. Post-mortem examinations showed chocolate-brown appearance of the livers of the birds and congested parenchymatous organs. Microscopical examinations of Giemsa stained blood smears (n=100) revealed a 30% infection rate. The obtained infection percentages were more pronounced in males (35.71%) than females (16.66%) and more in adults (57.14%) than young pigeons (15.38%). The present sequence of H. columbae was deposited in GenBank under accession No.: MH345964 and shows 100% identity with other related Haemoproteus species in the Sao Paulo Zoo, Brazil (KU131585 and KU131583) and the UK (KX832581 and KX832586).

CONCLUSION

This study concluded that the accurate diagnosis of H. coulmbae infection in pigeons by specific primers will help with the early treatment of affected cases, especially in the presence of the immature forms, and can thus avoid the noticed clinical signs and the induced pathological lesions mentioned in our study.

Pseudomalaria in a domestic pigeon: a case report

Microscopic examination of thin blood smear of a domestic pigeon brought to Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Junagadh, Gujarat revealed mature and immature halter shaped gametocytes of Haemoproteus columbae encircling the nucleated erythrocytes. The disease was diagnosed as acute infection of pigeon malaria more notably known as pseudomalaria. The parasitic infection was further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the Cytochrome b (cyt b) gene fragment amplifying 207 base pair (bp) fragment. Pseudolynchia canariensis, the vector for H. columbae was also recovered from underneath the feathers of the affected pigeon.