Jallailudeen Rabana LAWAL1, Hussaini Usman DURKWA2, Kaka Bintu BUKAR3, Yusuf Hamid MUKTAR1, Adamu Maina UMAR1, Abubakar Abba KAKA1, Umar Isa IBRAHIM1, Abdullahi Abubakar Biu4
1Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
2Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Jos, P.M.B. 2084, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
3Department of Animal Health and Production, Mohamet Lawan College of Agriculture, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
4Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author’s Email: rabana4real@unimaid.edu.ng, doi.org/10.55639/607.02010056
ABSTRACT
This study conducted between June 2023 and May 2024 investigated the prevalence, intensity, species composition, and risk factors of gastrointestinal helminths in domestic and stray pigeons (Columba livia) from urban and rural areas of Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria. A total of 420 pigeons (323 domestic and 97 stray) were sampled during rainy and dry seasons. Gastrointestinal tracts were examined for helminths using standard parasitological techniques, and species were identified morphologically. Out of the pigeons examined, 227 were infected, giving an overall prevalence of 54.0% (95% CI: 49.3–58.8%) and mean intensity of 2.05 ± 0.93. Stray pigeons showed significantly higher prevalence (81.4%) and mean intensity (2.71 ± 1.05) than pigeons from live bird markets (46.7%; 1.88 ± 0.72) and household flocks (44.8%; 1.45 ± 0.60) (p < 0.0001). Five helminths species were identified, comprising five single-species infections, Ascaridia columbae (18.8%), Heterakis gallinarum (10.0%), Capillaria spp. (4.3%), Raillietina tetragona (7.4%), and Hymenolepis cantaniana (6.9%), and three mixed-species combinations. Prevalence was significantly higher in rural (68.6%) than urban (39.9%) pigeons (OR = 3.29), females (61.4%) than males (44.1%) (OR = 2.01), adults (66.1%) than young (37.6%) (OR = 3.23), and during the rainy (72.9%) than dry (35.2%) season (OR = 4.93) (p < 0.05). The small intestine was the most common predilection site (63.9%), followed by ceca (22.5%), gizzard (17.2%), large intestine (11.5%), and crop/proventriculus (7.9%). The high burden, particularly in stray and rural pigeons, emphasizes the need for targeted parasite control, improved husbandry, and environmental hygiene to limit transmission risks to domestic flocks and mitigate potential zoonotic risks.
Keywords:
Columba livia,
Gastrointestinal helminths,
Prevalence,
Zoonotic risks