Wild birds of Al-Jouf region may harbor zoonotic parasites

Wild Birds have hazards of carrying parasites that are possibly transmitted to man.

The aim of this work is to recover parasites from the possibly infected wild birds.

Three wild birds of each type of quail, dove, and pigeon were caught in the Al-Jouf region. They were sacrificed and the contents of their gut were studied using microscopy.

Two different species of Cestodes (tapeworms) of order Cyclophyllidea were recovered from wild quail and dove. Only one Mesocestoides sp. worm has been recovered from one wild quail. Mesocestoididae is a family of Cestoda in the order Cyclophyllidea. Members of this family are gut parasites of small mammals and occasionally birds. Cestodes in the genus Mesocestoides are common in carnivores but only very rarely infect humans. Ten Raillietina sp. worms have been recovered from a wild dove. The majority of Raillietina spp. infect avian definitive hosts. It may cause rare accidental innocuous infections in humans.

There is much to be learned about the possible transmission of these cestodes from birds to humans, and further research in this area could have important implications for both human and animal health. Projects must be adopted for making a survey of what Parasites may wild animals carry to raise the level of health, environmental, and economic awareness of the community.