CESTODE AND ACANTHOCEPHALAN INFECTIONS IN CAPTIVE BUSTARDS - NEW HOSTAND LOCATION RECORDS, WITH DATA ON PATHOLOGY, CONTROL, AND PREVENTIVEMEDICINE

Bustards are large terrestrial birds that inhabit open plains, deserts , and dry bush country. The helminth parasites of captive houbara bust ards (Chlamydotis undulata macqueeni), rufous-crested bustards (Eupodo tis ruficrista), and kori bustards (Ardeotis kori) have been investiga ted at the National Avian Research Centre (NARC) and the International Institute of Parasitology. The cestode species recovered include Hisp aniolepis falsata, Ascometra vestita, Ascometra choriotidis, Otiditaen ia conoideis, Otiditaenia macqueeni, Raillietina neyrai, and Idiogenes sp. The acanthocephalans Mediorhynchus taeniatus and Centrorhynchus l ancea were also recovered. A host-parasite list is presented here. Chl amydotis undulata macqueeni is a new host for A. choriotidis, C. lance a, and R, neyrai, and E. ruficrista is a new host for O. macqueeni. As cometra choriotidis, R. neyrai, O. macqueeni, H. falsata, M. taeniatus , and C. lancea records are new for the United Arab Emirates. Cestodes were recovered from 18 of 78 houbara bustards, two of three kori bust ards, and four of 10 rufous-crested bustards. Pathologic findings in t he intestinal tract associated with cestode infection included inflamm ation, mild atrophy, collapse, and fibrosis of the intestinal mucosa. In some birds, the number of parasites was sufficient to partially obs truct the intestinal lumen. Administration of a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg praziquantel was effective in treating kori bustards known to b e infected with the cestode O. conoideis. Importation of stock for cap tive breeding programs may introduce parasites from one region into an other.