A Survey into the Prevalence of Ectoparasites of Free-Range Chickens and Pigeons in Qom Province

In order to investigate the incidence of macroscopic Ectoparasites of free-range domestic chickens and pigeons in Qom province, 300 free-range domestic chickens and 300 pigeons from Central district, Salafchegan, Jafariyeh, Kahak, and Khalajastan were randomly selected and studied from December 2016 to September 2017. 200 poultry were selected from Central district, and 100 ones from each of the other districts under study were put under careful investigation. Of the 300 domestic chickens, 202 (67.33%) were infected and 98 (32.67%) were free of external parasites. Moreover, out of 300 pigeons, 218 (72.66%) were found to be infected, while 82 (27.34%) were free of external parasite infection. The highest infection percentage of domestic chickens and pigeons in Salafchegan district were 90% and 84%, respectively, and the lowest percentage of domestic chickens infection was observed in Central district as 43% and the lowest infection rate was reported in Jafariye as 66% . As the findings revealed, in each district, the highest contamination was observed in Salafchegan (87%) and the lowest was related to the Central district (44%). The genus and species of parasites isolated from domestic chickens were Menopon gallinae, Menacanthus stramineus, Goniodes dissimilis, Lipeurus caponis, and Cuclotogaster heterographus. Argas persicus, a fowl tick, was also isolated from domestic chickens. The fly larvae were also found and isolated in several nests. The highest contamination was related to Menopon gallinae (69%), and the least was Goniodes dissimilis (5%). In addition, Menopon gallinae, Lipeurus caponis, and Menacanthus stramineus and Argas persicus (a small soft-bodied tick), were isolated from the pigeons under study. The highest infection was found to be Menopen (53%) and the lowest was related to Menacanthus (14%).