Parasitofauna survey of "Song thrushes" (Turdus philomelos) from the eastern part of Spain

Abstract

Thrushes (Turdus spp.) are migratory passerine birds found in northern Europe during the summer months and in southern Europe and north of Africa during the winter. They constitute an important small game bird group very appreciated by Spanish hunters. Between October 2013 and February 2014, 90 thrushes were collected and submitted to the Veterinary Faculty of the University CEU-Cardenal Herrera (Valencia, Spain). After necropsies, three species of helminths were macroscopically recovered from 15 animals (16.7%): Morishitium polonicum (16.7%), Splendidofilaria spp. (6.7%) and Raillietina spp. (7.8%). Moreover, twelve of the positive thrushes (80%) harboured microfilaria in pulmonary blood vessels and three of them (20%) were infected by Sarcocystis spp. on skeletal musculature. All parasitised birds showed lesions, ranging from mild to moderate tracheitis, aerosaculitis, enteritis and hepatitis, being the first report of severe enteric and hepatic lesions associated to M. polonicum infection in Turdidae. Furthermore, this is the first description of Raillietina spp. and Sarcocystis spp. in thrushes from Spain. The results obtained in this survey reveal the need for further studies to evaluate the epidemiological role of thrushes as spreaders of several parasites during their annual migration.