Short CommunicationFirst report of gastrointestinal nematodes and coccidia parasites from free-range chickens in Mafeteng district, Lesotho
Introduction
Free-range chickens are native chicken breeds (Gallus genus) and mostly raised in resource-limited rural villages of developing countries due to their adaptation to harsh environmental conditions and poor farming practices (Elson, 2011; Padhi, 2016). The chickens are mostly fed on leftover food and occasionally fed with specifically formulated chicken ration (Dessie and Ogle, 2001). These chickens scavenge during daytime and are confined in shelters made from locally available material during night-time (Muchadeyi et al., 2009; Mtileni et al., 2009). The current phenotypic and genetic distributions of the breeds were influenced by factors that include previous human migration, mutation due to environmental conditions, artificial and natural selection (Clutton-Brock, 1992). In Lesotho, free-range chickens constitute 48% of the chicken population and survive in all agro-ecological zones (Malibeng, 2018). Currently, there are no breed qualifications for these chickens. Nonetheless, these chickens can be categorized into three groups: Brown and Black Red; Sole Black; and the Dark, Red, Cuckoo, Silver Grey and Spangled birds according to distinct differences in colour of plumage (Nthimo, 2004; Nthimo et al., 2004; Malibeng, 2018).
Gastrointestinal parasite infections in poultry either by helminths or protozoa results in suppression of the immune system, delayed growth, low egg production and sometimes death (Dube et al., 2010; Katoch et al., 2012). Seasons with relatively higher moisture and warm temperature favour oocyst sporulation and hatching of ova and are associated with high parasite occurrences (Kaboudi et al., 2016). The infective stages of coccidia and helminths occur in higher numbers in the environment and eventually infect the chickens (Wuthijaree et al., 2019). Poultry that are kept under intensive production system are less exposed to parasitic diseases largely due to housing that excludes parasite as well as improved management practices whereas in free-range birds, the prevalence is high, implying higher exposure to parasitic infections (Abdelqader et al., 2007; Sharma et al., 2013; Sarba et al., 2019).
Nematodes and coccidia are amongst the most important parasites in chickens causing weight decrease, damage to intestinal walls, reduced egg production and increased mortality (Ayeh-Kumi et al., 2016; Belete et al., 2016). Major nematode genera that infect poultry include Ascaridia, Heterakis and Capillaria (Sarba et al., 2019; Wuthijaree et al., 2019). The most prevalent species include A. galli, H. gallinarum and a number of species under the genus Capillaria include C. anatis, C. obsignata, C. bursata and C. caudinflata (Asumang et al., 2019; Ara et al., 2021). The Eimeria species that cause coccidiosis in chicken include E. acervulina, E. necatrix, E. praecox, E. mitis, E. brunetti, E. maxima and E. tenella (Mcdougald, 1998). The latter is the most prevalent species that is associated with lesions in the caecum of chickens (Huang et al., 2017; Hamid et al., 2018).
Helminths and coccidia are global concerns due to their effects on health, production and welfare of chickens (Shifaw et al., 2021). There is no specific strategy on management of chicken parasites in Lesotho. The farmers control parasites with traditional agents and homemade concoctions such as aloe extracts, potassium permanganate, Jeyes fluid and rarely anthelmintic drugs (Malibeng, 2018). Sub-Saharan countries that include South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe conducted studies on gastrointestinal parasites of backyard chickens to improve the understanding on their epidemiology, pathogenesis and management (Thekisoe et al., 2003; Mtileni et al., 2009; Mwale and Masika, 2011). The information is particularly important for rural populations in developing countries where extensive chicken farming is one of the main sources of protein and income (Dube et al., 2010; Desta, 2021). Currently, there is a paucity of information on the prevalence, faecal egg count, and the role of seasons on the variation of parasites of free-range chickens in Lesotho. Therefore, this study was undertaken to document the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites infecting free-range chickens in Mafeteng District of Lesotho.
Section snippets
Study area and sample collection
The study was conducted in Mafeteng District that is located on the southern part of Lesotho, bordering with Maseru district, Mohale's Hoek District and the Free State Province in South Africa. The samples were collected on a monthly basis for a period of 12 months from 39 households that had a minimum of 15 village/backyard chickens that were free ranging at HaKubutu [29°44′16.7”S 27°35′51.0″E], HaMatjeka [29°43′54.8”S 27°37′24.7″E]), HaMpalipali [29°45′16.5”S 27°35′25.9″E] and Thabang
Results and discussion
The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) associated helminth and coccidian parasites were detected from 28% of the households either as single or concurrent infections for the entire period of the study (Fig. 2.). Out of 462-pooled faecal samples analysed, 131 samples showed the presence of chicken gastrointestinal parasite infections. The overall rates of nematode infections were as follows: A. galli at 10.4%, H. gallinarum at 5%, while a single egg of C. obsignata was detected in one flock from
Conclusion
This study has successfully documented the occurrence of A. galli, H. gallinarum, E. tenella and C. obsignata in free-range village chickens in four districts of Lesotho using microscopic methods. The E. tenella prevalence was highest, followed A. galli, and H. gallinarum. Generally, the OPG/EPG counts of E. tenella, A. galli and H. gallinarum were highest in March while C. obsignata was only detected at Thabang village in September. The high spike of the parasite EPG during March through to
Funding
This study was partly supported by the Department of Livestock Services (Lesotho), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) VETLAB Network, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) Incentive Funding for Rated Researchers (GUN94187 and GUN118949) made available to OMMT. The Grant holder acknowledges that opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in any publication generated by the NRF supported research is that of the author(s), and that
Ethical consideration
The research proposal was submitted to and approved by Tshwane University of Technology Faculty Committee for Research Ethics-Science and Animal Research Ethics Committee before the commencement of the study.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Mabusetsa J.R. Makalo: Investigation, Writing – original draft, Funding acquisition, Data curation. Khethiwe Mtshali: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. Ana M. Tsotetsi-Khambule: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. Lehlohonolo S. Mofokeng: Software, Formal analysis. Moeti O. Taioe: Software, Formal analysis. Oriel M.M. Thekisoe: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – review & editing.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest that might unduly influence their work.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the chicken owners for their cooperation.
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