Schistosome infection in the kelp gull, Larus dominicanus, from Port Elizabeth, Republic of South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACTA schistosome infection, cf Gigantobilharzia sp., is recorded from a South African coastal bird, Larus dominicanus, for the first time. The histological response to the presence of the worms and their eggs was considered to be unusually mild. These eggs were all immature and were found only in the mucosa of the gut wall. This raises questions about the oviposition behaviour of the female worm.