Prevalence and distribution of gastro-intestinal helminths and haemoparasites in young scavenging chickens in upper eastern region of Ghana, West Africa

We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and specie s of gastro-intestinal helminths and haemoparasites in 100 chickens kept un der extensive management systems in Ghana, West Africa. All the examined ch ickens (100%) were infected with gastro-intestinal helminths; a total of 18 species were detected, The species and their prevalences were: Acuaria ham ulosa (25%), Allodapa suctoria (20%), Ascaridia galli (24%), Capillaria spp . (60%), Choanotaenia infundibulum (13%), Gongylonema ingluvicola (62%), He terakis gallinarum (31%), H. isolonche (16%), Hymenolepis spp. (66%), Raill ietina cesticillus (12%), R. echinobothrida (81%), R. tetragona (59%), Stro ngyloides avium (2%), Subulura strongylina (10%), Tetrameres fissispina (58 %), Trichostrongylus tenuis (2%), and finally one unidentified acanthocepha lan (1%) and one unidentified trematode (1%). Thirty-five per cent of the c hickens were infected with the haemoparasites Aegyptinella pullorum and Pla smodium juxtanucleare (prevalences 9% and 27%, respectively). Association b etween chicken sex and prevalences was not significant. An over-dispersed d istribution was seen for most of the helminth species. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.