HAEMATOZOAN INFECTION OF 8 GAMEBIRD SPECIES (GALLIFORMES) FROM 4 SITES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

We examined blood smears from 162 individuals of eight species of game birds (Galliformes) collected in southern Africa.,The smears were coll ected at a site in Zambia, two sites in Zimbabwe and from various loca lities in the south-western Cape Province, South Africa. The overall i nfection rate was 46,3%, with a 100% infection in the Cape francolin F rancolinus capensis, 52,2% in the helmeted guineafowl Numida meleagris , and 50,0% in both the Swainson's francolin F. swainsonii and greywin g francolin F. africanus. Lower levels of infection were recorded in t he crested francolin F. sephaena (34,8%), the rednecked francolin F. a fer (25,0%), and the Natal francolin F. natalensis (18,2%). The single coqui francolin F. coqui was free of blood parasites. The most common parasites were various species of Leucocytozoon, Aegyptianella and mi crofilariae, with less common infections by species of the genera Haem oproteus, Plasmodium and Trypanosoma.