The first record of ostrich feather louse (Struthiolipeurus struthionis) collected from farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in the United Arab Emirates-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

The first record of ostrich feather louse (Struthiolipeurus struthionis) collected from farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in the United Arab Emirates

Published:2024-01 Issue: Volume: Page:125-130
ISSN:2231-0916
Container-title:Veterinary World
language:en
Short-container-title:Vet World

Author:

Perveen Nighat¹^ORCID,Muzaffar Sabir Bin²^ORCID,Al-Sabi Mohammad Nafi Solaiman³^ORCID,Hamdan Layaly⁴^ORCID,Aldarwich Adnan⁴^ORCID,Iliashevich Daniil⁴^ORCID,Mohteshamuddin Khaja⁴^ORCID,Sparagano Olivier Andre⁵^ORCID,Willingham Arve Lee⁴^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, P.O. Box 15551, UAE; Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, P.O. Box 15551, UAE.

2. Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, P.O. Box 15551, UAE.

3. Department of Basic Medical Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan.

4. Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, P.O. Box 15551, UAE.

5. Agricultural Sciences and Practice, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, GL7 6JS, UK; Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Abstract

Background and Aim: Ostrich (Struthio camelus) farming in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a relatively new field of farming. Farmed ostriches are susceptible to ectoparasite infestation, which affects their production. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites on ostriches raised on a farm in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Materials and Methods: The feathers of 42 ostriches (26 females and 16 males) were collected and morphologically examined for ectoparasites. In total, 283 lice (89 males and 194 females) were collected from birds. However, there were no ticks or other ectoparasites. Lice were preserved in 1.5 mL tubes containing 70% ethanol and were later identified using taxonomic keys. The prevalence, mean intensity of infection, and mean abundance were estimated. Results: One louse species, Struthiolipeurus struthionis was identified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. struthionis in ostriches raised in the UAE with an overall prevalence of 88%. The prevalence of lice was significantly higher in July (100%) than that in May (66.7%). Likewise, the mean intensity and abundance of lice were significantly higher in June (10.6 and 9.94, respectively) than in May (3.25 and 2.2, respectively). Conclusion: The high prevalence of lice poses a serious risk to ostrich farming by negatively affecting the health and productivity of ostriches. Keywords: lice, ostrich parasites, prevalence, Struthiolipeurus struthionis, United Arab Emirates.

Funder

United Arab Emirates University

Publisher

Veterinary World

Link

https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.17/January-2024/13.pdf

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