PREVALENCE OF CESTODES IN SELECTED SMALL SCALE COMMERCIAL POULTRY FARMS OF HYDERABAD SINDH

Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand, Pakistan

Abstract

In order to assess the prevalence of cestodes around Hyderabad region of Sindh, randomly selected 17 small scale commercial poultry farms were surveyed during September 2014 to March 2015. A total of 500 guts of freshly slaughtered commercial layers (289) and broilers (211 each) were examined. The results of this study envisaged that layers were severely infected with cestodes, while, broilers were free due to short life span, controlled feeding and their confinement housing thus no chance of prevalence of cestodes in these birds as compared to commercial layers. The results further showed that the prevalence of cestodes varied from farm to farm and within a farm. The overall prevalence of cestodes in commercial layers was found to be 34.95 percent in and around Hyderabad region. The overall infection rate of cestodes in layers was  higher in Tando Muhammad Khan and Hyderabad regions, followed by Tando Allahyar, while, at Halla it was the lowest (41.67, 35.85, 33.85, 27.59 percent, respectively). The population of cestodes in layers ranged between 7.52±0.4, 7.38±0.6, 7.33±0.3, 8.47±0.7, respectively. The three cestode species identified were Raillietina tetragona, Raillietina echinobothrida and Davainea proglottina.