Gastrointestinal parasites and other endoparasites of indigenous chickens traded in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

A survey of gastrointestinal and other internal parasites was conducted on apparently healthy indigenous chickens of both sexes obtained from open-air markets around Nairobi, Kenya. A total of 131 birds from 9 districts were examined. Worm egg and coccidial oocyst counts were performed on faecal materials from each bird while worms collected from gastrointestinal tracts were quantified and identified. Many chickens had gastrointestinal helminths (90%), but only a few of these (13.9%) had coccidial oocysts. Nematodes were the predominant helminths (89%) followed by cestodes (51.5%), but no trematodes were recovered. The nematodes recovered were: Heterakis isolonche (59.5%), Subulura brumpti (36.0%) Tetrameres spp. (32%), Ascaridia galli (19.8%), Gongylonema ingluvicola (19.1%), Acuaria hamulosa (6.1%), Heterakis gallinarum (5.3%) and Capillaria spp. (2.3%). The cestodes recovered were: Raillietina echinobothrida (37.7%), Hymenolepis carioca (33.6%), Davainea proglottina (6.9%), R. tetragona (6.1%) and R. cesticillus (2.3%). Other endoparasites encountered were the air-sac mite, Cytodite nudus (15.3 %), Sacocystis spp. (5.6 %) and Syngamus trachea (4%). The mean caecal worm counts in chickens were significantly different (p < 0.05) in various districts. However, there was no significant difference in the overall worm loads between sexes (p > 0.05). The results of this study showed that there is heavy parasitism with various endoparasites in apparently healthy traded indigenous chickens in Kenya.