Histopathological changes in the upper digestive tract of pigeons infected with Hadjelia truncata

Thirty-five pigeons from ten different farms in Fars area, southern Iran were submitted for post mortem inspection. Based on the clinical observations and gross pathological examinations, all the birds showed severe weight loss, diarrhea and to some extent ventricular enlargement. Furthermore, all the cases demonstrated large numbers of nematodes attached to the mucosa and submucosa of the ventriculus. Parasitological examinations revealed that the recovered parasites were Hadjelia truncata. The histopathological changes showed necrosis of the mucosal cells with moderate infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages, heterophils and eosinophils in the lamina properia and muscularis mucosa in the infected animals. Based on the parasitological and pathological findings it can be concluded that the nematode H. truncate could be assigned as a pathogenic agent in the upper tract of pigeons.