Ecto- and Endo- Parasites in Free Range Chicken in
rainy season in Mbeere District, Kenya.
PRESENTED AT THE WAAVP CONFERENCE HELD ON 25TH TO 30TH AUGUST 2013 IN
PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA
BY
HANNAH W CHEGE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY PATHOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
Introduction
 Poultry production is a growing and an economically important industry in Kenya.
 It contributes to the livelihood of approximately 21million people.
 Due to shortage of land for agriculture many people in rural areas have opted for
poultry production .
 Endo and ecto- parasites are common among indigenous chickens
 Effects of parasites include:
*competition for nutrients
*sucking blood causing anaemia
*diarrhoea and/or obstruction of intestines.
 Parasites leads to lowered productivity (reduction in weight gain, decreased egg
production) and/or mortality).
 Ecto-parasites are important as blood suckers, vectors or aetiological agents of
disease.
Village chickens of various ages
Tapeworm infestation in chickens
Village chickens
scavenging in the field
Flea infestation in chickens
Introduction conti.....
Previous studies in Kenya have established:
 Prevalence and intensity of endo, ecto and hemoparasites among different age
groups and sexes of birds, farm (Sabuni et al., 2010 ; Sabuni et al., 2011.) and
market birds(Maina 2005).
No studies on


Current prevalence of ecto and haemoparasites compared to Sabuni et al (
2010;2011).
The prevalence of endoparasites in Mbeere District, Kenya
Objective
To determine the prevalence of ecto -, endo- and haemo-parasites
in free range chickens in Mbeere District, Eastern Province, Kenya.
Materials and methods
Study area
 The study was conducted in Mbeere District , Eastern Province, Kenya
 The area has high poultry population of indigenous
 chicken, approx. 165, 090( KBS)
 Bimodal pattern of rainfall

long rains (mid- March and June).

short rain (October to December).
Map showing the study area
Materials and methods cont....
Experimental design
 A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2011.
 Twenty four birds(24) birds of all ages(chicks <2months, growers 2-8months
and adults over 8months) were used to determine the parasite types.
 They were obtained using purposive sampling from homesteads that had at
least 10 free ranged chickens
 The birds were purchased from farmers, labelled put in different cages and
transported to Kabete campus (University of Nairobi )for examination.

A post-mortem examination of birds was done as described by Charlton et
al 2006 .
Materials and methods cont.....
 Different parts of the gastrointestinal tract were separated, worms identified,
counted and recorded as described by Maina (2005).
 Chickens’ skin and feathers were examined for ectoparasites as described in
the MAFF (1986) and Sabuni (2010).
 Data analysis
 Data entered into Excel spread sheet and analysed using GenstatR Discovery
for descriptive stastical analysis.
 Prevalence calculated according to Margolis et al., 1982
 Stastically significant differences were considered significant when p<0.05
Results and discussion
 All the birds were infected with endo and ectoparasites giving overall prevalence
of 100%. Similar findings
 Ethiopia (Abebe et al .,1997),Zimbabwe (Permin et al., 2002) and Kenya(Maina
2005; Mungube et al 2008)) and Sabuni et al., 2010).
Table 1: Summary of ectoparasites found in different age groups of chickens
Age group
of chickens
Number
of birds
Flea
Prevalence(%)
Lice
Prevalence(%)
Echidnophaga
gallinacea
Menopon
gallinae
Menacanthus
stramineus
Liperus
caponis
Gonoides
gigas
Ticks
prevalence(%)
Mites prevalence(%)
Argas persicus
Dermanyssus
gallinae
Knemidocoptes
mutans
Table 1:7Summary
of ectoparasites
found in- different
age groups
of chickens
71(5/7)
71(5/7)
100(7/7)
43(3/7)
71(5/7)
-
Growers
8
50(4/8)
100(8/8)
100(8/8)
25(2/8)
25(2/8)
0
63(5/8)
-
Adults
9
67(6/9)
100(9/9)
100(9/9)
67(6/8)
22(629)
33(3/9)
5 6(5/9)
44(4/9)
Chicks
Ectoparasites
Menacathus stramineus
Knemidocoptes mutans
Gonoides gigas
Dermanyssus gallinae
Results and discussion cont........
 High prevalence of ectoparasites-poor hygiene on farms, lack of control measures
 Lice were the most prevalent ectoparasites(100%)

*Similar finding in Kashmir valley (Salam et al., 2009), Ethiopia
(Mekuria et al., 2010) and in Kenya (Sabuni et al ., 2010)

The most prevalent louse was Menacanthus stramineus contrary to Sabuni et al.,
2011where Menopon gallinae was predominant.
 Argas persicus- least(25%) which was slightly lower(Sabuni et al., 2010)-
nocturnal behaviour
 Knemidocoptes mutans had a lower prevalence due to cold temperatures or
individual health management system
 Present in adults associated with long period exposure
Results and discussion cont.......
Echidnophaga gallinacea had a prevalence of 63%-slightly lower than
previous findings by Mungube et al 2008, Sabuni et al 2010
*Neglect by farmers to use insecticides
*mud walls chickens houses
There were no significant differences in the prevalence of the ecto-
parasites among the age groups
Results and Discussion cont.........
Parasites recovered in gastrointestinal-nematodes and cestodes
Table 2: Summary of endoparasites (nematodes) in different chicken age groups
Age group of
chickens
No. of birds
Heterakis species
prevalence(%)
H.isolonche
Prevalence(%)
Heterakis
gallinarum
Subulura
brumpti
prevalence
Gongylonema
ingluvicola
prevalence(%)
Tetrameres
species
prevalences(%)
Chicks
7
86(6/7)
86(6/7)
-
71(5/7)
14(1/7)
29(2/7)
Growers
8
100(8/8)
50(4/8)
-
63(5/8)
25(2/8)
63(5/8)
Adults
9
100(9/9)
89(8/9)
44(4/9)
78(7/9)
44(4/9)
78(7/9)
Results and Discussion continued
 All chickens had more than one species of gastrointestinal worms.
 Heterakis species- most prevalent(95.8%) with H.isolonche(72.26%) being the most
prevalent.
Similar findings have been reported in Kenya(Maina 2005).This was
accounted by the fact that most farmers dewormed their chicken using
Ascarex(Piperazine citrate) not effective against Heterakis species
 Subulura brumpti also prevalent(70.8%) –similar findings reported in Kenya(Maina
2005).
 High prevalence of nematodes accounted by soil especially when humid and warm
served as important reservoir and transmission site for external larval stages of
helminths.
Nematodes
Male Heterakis isolonche
with two equal spicules
Male Subulura brumpti with two
equal spicules
Gongylonema ingluvicolashowing bosses
Male Tetramere head
Table 3:Summary of cestodes found in different age groups of chickens
Age
Number of
birds
Cestodes species prevalences in %
Raillietina
echinobothrida
Raillietina
tetragona
Choanotaenia
infundibulum
Hymenolepsis
cantaniana
Chicks
7
71(5/7)
57(4/7)
14(1/7)
-
Growers
8
75(6/8)
38(3/8)
-
13(1/8)
Adults
9
89(8/9)
67(6/9)
11(1/9)
-
Most birds infested with Cestodes especially Railletina echinobothrida
(79.2%) the least was H.cantaniana (4%)
There were no significant differences in prevalence of cestodes among the
age groups (p<0.05)
Results and discussion cont....
 Slightly higher to the results in Kenya(Maina, 2005; Mungube et al., 2008)
and in Zimbabwe (Permin et al., 2002).
 High prevalence of cestodes was due to the scratching habit of the chicken-
cow dung look for maggots whose intermediate host is Musca domestica
(Dube et al., 2010)
Head of Raillietina tetragona with oval
suckers
Results and discussion cont..............
Table 4:Summary of different haemoparasites in different chicken age groups
Age
Number of
birds
Haemoparasites prevalences(%)
Plasmodium
species
Aegyptinella
pullorum
Eperythrozoon
species
Leucocytozoon
schoutedeni
Chicks
7
57(4/7)
-
14(1/7)
14(1/7)
Growers
8
88(7/8)
13(1/8)
40(2/8)
38(3/8)
Adults
9
89(8/9)
-
11(1/9)
33(3/9)
There were no significant differences in prevalence of haemoparasites among the
age groups (p<0.05).
Results and discussion continuation
 Haemoparasites recorded with a prevalence of 79.16% similar to
*findings in Kenya (Sabuni et al 2011).Variation in prevalences of
haemoparasites due to variation in appearance of vectors(Permin et al 2002)

Plasmodium gallinaceum was the most prevalent(79.16%) due favourable cold
weather conditions for the mosquitoes.
 Slightly higher than that recorded
* Kenya( Sabuni et al., 2011)
*Zimbabwe (Permin et al .,2002)
 Leucocytozoon schoutedeni also present but lower rate of 6% than that recorded
in Kenya(Sabuni et al., 2011).
 Aegyptinella pullorum was the least 4.17%-accounted by presence of ticks
Leucocytozoon schoutedeni
Plasmodium gallinaceum in
the red blood cells
Conclusion
 Endo and ecto parasites are common in the village chickens in study
area .

Compared to 2008 there was no difference in the prevalence of the
parasites.
 There is therefore need for vigorous control measures
Acknowledgement
 The authors would like to thank the following,
 RUFORUM for their sponsorship and funding of the project .
 The University of Nairobi for providing the work space and facilities.
 World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology
(WAAVP).
 Richard Otieno for his technical assistance

The farmers of Mbeere for their corporation