PREVALENCE OF INTESTINAL PARASITES ON COMMERCIAL AND FREE-RANGE BROILER CHICKENS FROM MICRO-REGION OF SÃO SEBASTIÃO DO PARAÍSO, MG

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1 PB_2012pc227_2 PREVALENCE OF INTESTINAL PARASITES ON COMMERCIAL AND FREE-RANGE BROILER CHICKENS FROM MICRO-REGION OF SÃO SEBASTIÃO DO PARAÍSO, MG Thaís Fíchina 1, Cristiane Ferreira Prazeres Marchini 2 *, Juliana de Andrade Cintra Médica Veterinária, Monte Santo de Minas, Minas Gerias, Brasil 2 - Curso Medicina Veterinária da Universidade de Franca, UNIFRAN, Franca, São Paulo, Brasil cfprazeres@gmail.com ABSTRACT Worms are a serious problem in poultry industry due to high prevalence among birds and there presence in broilers production have been neglected. To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in free-range and commercial chickens, fecal samples were collected in 19 commercial farms and in 19 freerange systems in south region of Minas Gerais State. The presence of helminths and protozoa eggs, larvae and cysts was assessed by Willis, Hoffman and Faust technics. Eimeira spp. was identified in 100% of the commercial farms and Heterkis gallinarum in 10.52%. In freerange systems the prevalence of Eimeria spp was 84.21%, Capillaria spp 36.84%, Heterakis gallinarum 31.57%, Ascaridia spp 5.26% and tapeworms 42.10%. There was a prevalence of 68.42% of E. tenella, 47.36%, E. mivati, 57.89%, E. acervulina, 21.05%, E. necatrix and 15.78% of E. maxima in commercial farms. In free-range systems there was a prevalence of 62.50% of E. tenella, 75.0% E. mivati, 68.75% E. acervulina, 18.75% E. necatrix, 6.25%, E. maxima and 12.50% of E. brunetti. It was identified two, three and four different species occurring concomitantly in 63.15%, 31.57% and 5.26% of commercial farms, respectively. In free-range systems, there was a prevalence of 62.5% for two different species, 31.25% for three different species and 6.25% for four different species occurring concomitantly. E. tenella, E. mivati and E. acervulina were the most prevalent specie in both systems. Most of the commercial and free-range systems showed the occurrence of two or three different species of Eimeria occurring concurrently. KEYWORDS: birds; parasitism; coproparasitologic examination. INTRODUCTION The microregion of São Sebastião do Paraíso, belonging to the middle region of south and southwest of Minas Gerais, is now a booming poultry region and has been prominent in the regional and national scene, as in commercial or in colonial production system (Wikipedia, 2010). Currently consumers have been concerned about the way the food from animal source has been produced, with regard to food safety and animal welfare. For these reasons there is an increased number of free-range chickens farm. These birds have access to outside areas of the house and closer contact with the soil that favors the ingestion of intermediate hosts of several helminth (Zocche & Silva, 2009) which can result in increased prevalence of parasites. The introduction of intensive production systems confined have difficult the life cycle of many parasites (Ito et al., 2007), however, these systems tend to favor the presence of short cycle and direct transmission parasites, e.g. Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum and 70, World s Poultry Science Journal, Supplement 1, Expanded Abstract - Poster Presentation - Poultry Welfare and Environment

2 Capillaria spp (Ruff, 1999). In addition, fly, beetle and ant tapeworm intermediate hosts are found very often brids house ground (Ito et al., 2007). Helminth and their immature forms can affect birds health and cause losses due to decreased birds weight gain, worse feed conversion and uniformity (Meirelles, 2009). However, the importance and the presence of intestinal parasites in broilers have been neglected. Because there are few researches conducted in Brazil on the prevalence of intestinal parasites in birds, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of these parasites in broiler chickens from commercial farms and free-range chickens of São Sebastião do Paraíso region, MG, Brazil, through fecal examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use at the University of Franca, protocol 042/10 and conducted during the months January to April 2011 on commercial farms and free-range chickens, located in the municipalities of the region of São Sebastião do Paraíso, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Farms were randomized chosen from equipment supply company costumers files and agribusiness cooperative members files of the microregion. The fecal samples of chickens were collected from 19 commercial properties and from 19 free-range properties. Fresh feces were randomly collected from holy birds bed, with the aid of a spatula and placed in 50 ml universal collectors collection with identification. Each sample was divided into two aliquots, placed in a solution of iodine-formaldehyde merthiolate (FIM) and cooled, another sample was placed in 2.5% potassium dichromate solution and kept unrefrigerated for sporulation. Each fecal sample was subjected to analysis methods of Hoffmann, Faust and Willis (Neves et al., 2005). The supernatants and sediments were conducted under an optical microscope where eggs, larvae and cysts of parasites were observed, analyzed and identified. The Eimeria species were identified by morphometric analysis (morphometric index given by the ratio [MI = DP / DE] from the polar diameter [PD] and equatorial diameter [ED]) of sporulated oocysts on microscopic drawing tube. The infections prevalence (p) were obtained by the ratio of positive samples (d) for helminths in a given time and total number of samples (n) evaluated at a given time (p = d / n). The design was completely randomized in two types of birds farm: commercial and free-range, 19 commercial properties, and 19 free-range properties, and each property was considered a experimental unit. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In commercial farms were identified coccidia and helminth nematodes. By the methods of Hoffman and Faust there was a 100% prevalence of Eimeria spp. in these properties (Table 1), by the method of Willis, 78.94% prevalence. By the methods of Hoffman and Willis Heterakis gallinarum was detected in 10.52% of the properties. The commercial chickens, whose access to intermediate hosts is avoided the reared in poultry houses, often with waterproof flooring and are under biosecurity measures, have a lower prevalence of short cycle parasites, as Heterakis gallinarum (Ruff, 1999). Infection occurs when birds ingest the eggs of these parasites (Zocche, 2008), which is facilitated by the direct contact with their feces present in the aviary bed. The results corroborate those of Morais et al. (2009) that reported a high prevalence of Eimeria spp. in broiler chickens from commercial farms Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. According to Zocche (2008) the prevalence of coccidia is high due to short life cycle of the parasite and the high infectivity of the disease. In free-range farms, parasites were found from different genera and classes (Table 1). Eimeria spp was diagnosed in 84.42% of the samples by Hoffman and Willis methods, and 68.42% by Faust method. Hoffmann and Willis methods detected Ascaridia galli in 5.26% of World s Poultry Science Journal, Supplement 1, Expanded Abstract - Poster Presentation - Poultry Welfare and Environment, 71

3 Table 1 - Prevalence of helminths and protozoa in broiler chickens from 19 commercial farms and 19 free-range farms Parasites samples, tapeworms in 42.1% and 31.57% at of the samples, respectively. The Capillaria spp. was detected in 36.84% of properties by the method of Hoffman, 5.26% by the Faust method and 21.05% by the Willis method. Heterakis gallinarum was also found in 31.57% of the properties by the methods of Hoffman and Willis. The highest indirect cycle of parasites prevalence (42.10% to 36.84% for tapeworms and Capillaria spp.) in free-range chickens may be partially explained by the presence of intermediate hosts in free-range properties and by the birds access to ground areas. In this circumstance, access to intermediate hosts of Capillaria spp. and tapeworms was facilitated because according to (Ito et al., 2007) these parasites use fly, beetle and ant as an intermediate host, which are found more often and more significantly on ground. As for the commercial poultry, they were mostly reared on concrete floors. The greatest variety of helminths found in free-range birds such as coccidia, nematodes and tapeworms compared to commercial birds could be due to lack of use of pesticides. From parasites detected by fecal Test Hoffmann Faust Willis Po Ne# p(%)* Po Ne p(%) Po Ne p(%) Eimeria spp Heterakis gallinarum Parasites Hoffmann Faust Willis Po Ne# p(%)* Po Ne p(%) Po Ne p(%) examination tests, the genus Eimeria was the most prevalent, both in commercial (100%) and in free-range chickens (84.21%). The high density housing system can increase exposure to parasitic diseases such as coccidiosis which etiologic agent has a short and direct life cycle, without the need for an intermediate host (McDougald, 2003). It has been d e m o n s t r a t e d the presence of most important species of coccidia such as E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. tenella, E. mitis and E. praecox even in free-range chickens (Kawasoe, 2009). According to Andreatti Jr. et al. (1999) coccidiosis is very common in free-range and commercial farms, even in those where the use of anticoccidial is frequent. The results of this study corroborate those of Gonçalves et al. (2009) that in epidemiological survey conducted in Botucatu, São Paulo, found that coccidian parasites were more common in birds reared, and were present in 76.6% the samples. Among the isolated species of coccidia, Eimeria tenella, E. mivati and E. acervulina were the more frequent in commercial and free-range chickens (Table 2). Besides these species, E. necatrix and E. maxima were found in free-range and and commercial farms, and E. brunetti in free-range farms. These data differ from those found by Morais et al. (2009) that found a higher prevalence of E. brunetti and E. mitis in 83.3% of commercial farms and E. tenella and E. mivati in 83.3% of free-range chickens in the region of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil Eimeria spp Ascaridia galli Capillaria spp Heterakis gallinarum Tapeworms #N (number of samples), Po (positive samples), Ne # (negative samples). *% prevalence of positive samples in percentage. 72, World s Poultry Science Journal, Supplement 1, Expanded Abstract - Poster Presentation - Poultry Welfare and Environment

4 Table 2 - Prevalence (%) of Eimeria species in fecal samples of commercial broilers and free-range chickens Eimeria species CONCLUSION The prevalence of intestinal parasites of the Eimeria genus in poultry farms is 100% and Heterakis gallinarum, 10% in the microregion of São Sebastião do Paraíso, Minas Gerais, Brasil. In free-range chickens, the prevalence of Eimeria spp is 84%, 42% of tapeworms, 37% of Capillaria spp, 31.5% of Heterakis gallinarum and 5% of Ascaridia galli. The most prevalent coccidia species in commercial poultry and free-range chickens in São Sebastião do Paraíso region are E. tenella, E. mivati and E. acervulina. Mixed infection by two or three coccidia species in the same commercial and free-range flock occurred in 94% of the properties. REFERENCES Prevalence (%) of Eimeria species E. tenella (13/19) (10/16) E. mivati (09/19) (12/16) E. acervulina (11/19) (11/16) E. necatrix (04/19) (03/16) E. maxima (03/19) 6.25 (01/16) E. brunetti (02/16) In most commercial (94.7%) and free-range farms (93.7%) there were found the presence of two or three Eimeria species occurring concomitantly (Table 3). Table 3 - Prevalence of one, two, three and four species in the same ownership of commercial and free-range chickens. Species number Prevalence (%) of species occuring concomitantley (12/19) 62.5 (10/16) (06/19) (05/16) (01/19) 6.25 (01/16) ANDREATTI FILHO, R.L., MESTRINEL JR, P., SAMPAIO, H.M. and CROCCI, A.J. (1999) Effect of coccidiosis vaccine on Salmonella Enteritidis colonization in broiler chicks inoculated with anaerobic cecal microflora. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, 51: GONÇALVES, G.A.M., MARTINS, T.F., LIMA, E.T., LOPES, R.S. and ANDREATTI, R.L. (2009) Prevalência de endoparasitos em amostras fecais de aves silvestres e exóticas examinadas no Laboratório de Enfermidades Parasitarias da FMVZUNESP/ BOTUCATU-SP. Ciência Rural Brasileira, 39: ITO, N.M.K., MIYAJI, C.I. and MIYAJI, S.O. (2007) Verminoses. In: ITO, N.M.K., MIYAJI, C.I. & MIYAJI, S.O. (Eds) Diagnóstico diferencial das enfermidades bacterianas, fúngicas e parasitárias que acometem os frangos de corte, pp (Editora Coluna do Saber: Cascavel). KAWASOE, U. (2009) Coccidiose. In: Berchieri Jr A., Silva E.N., Di Fabio J., Sesti L. & Zuanaze M.A.F. (Eds) Doenças da Aves. FACTA: Campinas, p MCDOUGALD, L.R. (2003) Protozoal infections, in SAIF, Y.M. (Ed) Diseases of Poultry, pp (Iowa State University Press: Ames). MEIRELES, M.V. (2009) Coccidiose aviária. In: Revolledo, L. & Ferreira, A.J.P. (Eds) Patologia aviária, pp (Manole: Barueri). MORAIS. T.M., COELHO, M.G., MUNDIM, M.J.S., DE ÁVILA, D.F., ASSIS, R.C.L., ROSA, L.A.G. and CURY, M.C. (2009) Prevalência de protozoários intestinais de aves domesticas procedentes de criadouros comerciais e criadas a solta da microrregião de Uberlândia-MG. [Accesed in 20/09/2010] Available at NEVES, D.P., MELO, A.L., LINARDI, P.M. and VITOR, R.W.A. (2005) Parasitologia humana, 11ª Ed, Rio de Janeiro: Atheneu, pp RUFF, M.D. (1999) Important parasites in poultry production systems. Veterinary Parasitology, 84: WIKIPÉDIA. (2010) Microrregião de São Sebastião do Paraíso. [Accessed in 01/10/2010]. Available at Microrregi%C3%A3o_de_S%C3%A3o_ World s Poultry Science Journal, Supplement 1, Expanded Abstract - Poster Presentation - Poultry Welfare and Environment, 73

5 Sebasti%C3%A3o_do_Para%C3%ADso ZOCCHE, A.T. and SILVA, G.S. (2009) Endoparasitoses em aves de produção industrial. in: BERCHIERI JR, A., SILVA, E.N., DI FABIO, J., SESTI, L. & ZUANAZE, M.A.F. (Eds) Doenças das Aves, pp (Campinas, FACTA). ZOCCHE, A.T. (2008) Controle de Parasitas intestinais em Frangos de Corte e Reprodutoras. [Accessed in 20/09/2010]. Available at www. fortdodge.com.br/15cursodesanidadeavicola/ download.php?f=3_controle_parasitas_ gastrintestinais.pdf 74, World s Poultry Science Journal, Supplement 1, Expanded Abstract - Poster Presentation - Poultry Welfare and Environment