Available Online at http://www.recentscientific.com
International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Vol. 4, Issue, 7, pp.1126– 1128, July, 2013
International Journal of Recent Scientific Research
ISSN: 0976-3031
RESEARCH ARTICLE THE EYEWORM, OXYSPIRURA PETROWI SKRJABIN, 1929 (NEMATODA, THELAZIIDAE) IN THE MASKED SHRIKE LANIUS NUBICUS LICHTENSTEIN, 1823(PASSERIFORMES, LANIIDAE) COLLECTED IN BAGHDAD CITY, CENTRAL IRAQ Azhar A. Al-Moussawi* and Mohammad K. Mohammad** *
[email protected],
[email protected] and **
[email protected] ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article History:
The thelaziid eye nematode Oxyspirura petrowi infects a wide variety of wild and domestic birds belonging to different avian orders distributed throughout Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas. Female specimens of the eye nematode were found in the eye orbit of the masked shrike Lanius nubicus. This finding constitute the first record for this parasite in Iraq. Description of the parasite is provided and discussed with the pertinent literature.
Received 15th, June, 2013 Received in revised form 25th, June, 2013 Accepted 14th, July, 2013 Published online 30th July, 2013
Key words: Nematoda, eye nematode, Oxyspirura petrowi, Thelaziidae, lanius nubicus, Laniidae
© Copy Right, IJRSR, 2013, Academic Journals. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
The masked shrike Lanius nubicus Lichtenstein 1823 (Laniidae, Passeriformes) is a wide distributed spring and autumn visitor passerine bird throughout Iraq [1].
Four female specimens of O. petrowi were recovered from the orbital cavities of the male of the masked shrike. Oxyspirura petrowi: Spiruroidea, Thelaziidae, Thelaziinae, Oxyspirura Drasche in Stossich, 1897, subgenus Oxyspirura Skrjabin, 1931, Oxyspirura petrowi Skrjabin, 1929. Oxyspirura lumsdeni was later placed in synonymy with O. petrowi Skrjabin 1929 by [2].
The eye spirurid nematodes belong to the genus Oxyspirura (Drasche in Stossich, 1897) parasitizing the inside of the eyelid and the ocular cavity of birds [2] . Some 84 species have been reported in the orbits of birds in at least 43 families worldwide [3]. Greatest number of species in genus oxyspirura has been found in the order Passeriformes [4]. Many of them also occur in orders Charadriiformes, Coraciiformes, Cuculiformes, Falconiformes, Galliformes, Piciformes ,Ralliformes and Strigiformes [5]. The aim of the present work is to investigate about the incidence of Oxyspirura petrowi Skrjabin, 1929 isolated from the eyes of the masked shrike Lanius nubicus collected in Baghdad area ,Central Iraq.
MATERIALS AND METHODS During the period from September 2011 to June 2012, two specimens including a male and a female of the masked shrike lanius nubicus were captured in a garden of Bab Al-Muadham, Baghdad, Central Iraq. They were identified according to [1,6]. The eyes were examined immediately, with the aid of a dissecting microscope (Kruss) and a compound microscope Micros MCX100. The recovered nematodes were washed thoroughly with normal saline, kept in 70% ethanol, immersed in lactophenol at room temperature for clearing. Identification was done according to [7]. Measurements are in millimeters given as range followed by mean in parentheses, calculated using ocular and stage micrometers. Photos were taken with a digital camera Infinity lite-K100.
Fig. 1: Female of Oxyspirura petrowi, anterior end.
Description: (Figs. 1-3) Body straight and slender, white to cream in color, with rounded blunty anterior extremity, attenuated posterior extremity. The cuticle is close striated transversely. Mouth with four submedian pairs and three circumoral pairs of cephalic papillae, amphids present, cuticularized buccal capsule undivided, vulva and anus in
* Corresponding author: Azhar A. Al-Moussawi
Iraq Natural History Museum , University of Baghdad, Bab Al-Muatham, P.O. Box 59038 . Baghdad. Iraq. e -mails :
[email protected] ;
[email protected]
International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, Vol. 4, Issue, 7, pp. 1126 - 1128, July, 2013 posterior quarter of body with short distance between them. Body 5.548- 9.534 (8.00) long and 0.208 -0.432 (0.293) wide at widest point, diameter of body at anterior end 0.11 - 0.062 (0.073), at nerve ring portion 0.068-0.125 (0.097), at middle third of the body 0.353-0.70 (0.420), at vulva region 0.1190.250 (0.169), diameter at level of anus 0.067 - 0.085 (0.077), Diameter at extremity of tail before tip of the tail 0.010-0.016 (0.0128). Diameter of mouth opening 0.008-0.042 (0.022). Buccal capsule 0.020-0.031 (0.024) Length, 0.013- 0.031 (0.020) width, nerve ring 0.025 -0.034 (0.030) long, 0.0680.088 (0.076) wide, measures 0. 129 - 0.156 (0.139) from anterior end of the body. Length of oesophagus 0.520-0.728 (0.641), its diameter at bulb region 0.083-0.125 (0.099). Vulva situated in the posterior part of the body, a short distance in front of the anus, it is 0.021 -0.027 (0.024) in diameter, measures 0.380 -0.556 (0.478) from tip of the tail, with a cuticular thickening around its opening, anal opening 0.208 0. 257 (0.236) from the tip of the tail. Egg 0.015- 0.021 (0.018) long and 0.010 wide.
DISCUSSION Morphometric measurements in specimens of O. petrowi recovered from different hosts in different studies shown in (Table 1), reveals that our specimens are closely related to those of Pence [2,8] who collected this species from 14 different bird hosts in Louisiana ,USA belong to Ciconiiformes and Passeriformes, stating that this parasite species has a wide geographical range. Moreover, the morphometric variations noted in parasite specimens reflect the fact that presence of one parasite species in different hosts species may leads to differences in the measurements of certain morphological features. This parasite is circumpolar in distribution, in Asia it was first described from Russian grouse, It was discovered in ringnecked pheasants, Phasianus colchicus torquatus [9]. It is encountered primarily in birds found in open fields, submarginal grasslands, and marsh lands. It presents in ground-feeding birds and several avian families occupying comparable ecological niches [2,8]. It is known from several grouse species of Europe and Asia [9]. It was isolated from Lanius collurio in Czechoslovakia [4], Lanius excubitor in Turkmenia, USSR [10]. In America , Cram [11] isolated it from the Galliformes: Bonasa umbellus and Tympanuchus cupido , from the Passeriformes: Sturnella magna and Turdus migratorius. Addison and Anderson [3] isolated it from Bonasa umbellus, Centrocercus urophasianus, Pedioecetes phasianellus , Tympanuchus pallidicinctus, and hybrids of P. phasianellus and Tympanuchus cupido. Moreover, in Canada and the United States, from pheasant Phasianus colchicus torquatus in Nebraska [9], from Agelaius phoeniceus, Anthus spinoletta, Bubuhs ibis, Butorides cirescens, Cassidix mexicanus, Idhprocne bitchand, Malothrus ater, Myiarchur crinitus, Quiscalus quiscula, Richmodem cardinalis, Tyrannw tyrannus, Vireo griseus, in southern Louisiana [2]. From Tympanuchus cupido in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas [3, 12, 13]. The infection with this worm was light, this result agrees with [14] . However, in view of the small number of hosts examined in present study, no reliable conclusion on the prevalence, the infection rate and the distribution among male and female hosts could be retrieved.
CONCLUSION Since this work is the first of its kind in Iraq, and in view of the present findings, it is obvious that we have very limited knowledge on the eye worms of Iraqi birds and they need more attention and more detailed studies including more bird species and sufficient material. Acknowledgements The authors are grateful for the help in laboratory preparation kindly provided by Mrs. Khalida Ibrahim and Mrs. Hind Dhiaa, Parasitology section, Iraq Natural History research Centre and Museum, University of Baghdad. References 1. Allouse , B.E. Birds of Iraq. Vol. 3 (Passeriformes). Ar-Rabitta Press, Baghdad : 288 pp. (1962) 2. Pence, D. B. The Genus Oxyspirura (Nematoda: Thelaziidae) from Birds in Louisiana. Helm. Soc. Wash. 39 ( 1) : 23-28 (1972) 3. Addison, E.M. and Anderson, R.C. Oxyspirura lumsdeni n. sp. (Nematoda : Thelaziidae) from Tetraonidae in North America. Can. J. Zool. 47: 1223-1227 (1969) 4. Barus, V. On Some Species of the Genus Oxyspirura (Nematoda, Thelaziidae) from Birds in Czechoslovakia. J. Helminthol. 39 : 117-124 (1965) 5. Okulewicz , A., Okulewicz , J., Hildebrand , J. and Zalesny, G. New data on straggled eyeworm Oxyspirura chabaudi (Barus, 1965) (Nematoda, Thelaziidae) in Europe. Acta Parasitol. 52(3): 292294 (2007) 6. Salim M.A., Porter, R.F., Christensen, S., Schiermacker –Hansen, P. and Al-jbour , S. Field guide to the birds of Iraq . Amman , Nature Iraq and birdlife International .( In Arabic) (2006) 7. Yamaguti, S. Systema Helminthum . Vol.3 The nematodes of vertebrates .Intersci. Pub. Inc., New York : 679 pp. (1961) 8. Pence, D. B. Eyeworms (Nematoda: Thelaziidae) from West Texas Quail. Helm. Soc. Wash. 42 ( 2) : 181-183 (1975) 9. McClure, H. E. The Eyeworm, Oxyspirura petrowi, in Nebraska Pheasants. J. Wildl Manage. 13(3): 304307. (1949) 10. Meredov, M. Nematode and acanthocephalan fauna of Passeriformes in Turkmenia. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk Turkmenskoi SSR (Turkmenistan SSR Ylymlar Akademijasynyn Habarlary), Biol. Nauki. 3 : 65-68 (1975) 11. Cram, E. B. A review of the genus Oxyspirura with a morphological study of O. petrowi Skrjabiri, 1929, recently discovered in galliform birds of the northern United States. ( Cited in Pence D.B , 1975 ) Eyeworms (Nematoda: Thelaziidae) from West Texas Quail. Proc. Helm. Soc. Wash., 42( 2) :181-184 (1937) 12. Robel, R. J.; Walker,JR., T. J. ; Hagen C. A.; Ridley, R. K.; Kemp, K .and Applegate , R.D. Helminth parasites of lesser prairie-chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus in southwestern Kansas: incidence, burdens and effects. Wildlife Biol., 9(4) :341-349 (2003)
1127
International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, Vol. 4, Issue, 7, pp. 1126 - 1128, July, 2013 13. Robel, R. J.; Walker,JR., T. L. ; Hagen C. A.; Ridley, R. K.; Kemp, K .and Applegate , R.D. Helminthic parasites of Kansas pheasants from Southwestern Kansas. The Prairie Naturalist, 37(3) :143-150 (2005)
14. Lewin, V and Mahrt, J. L. Parasites of Kalij Pheasants (Lophura leucomelana on the Island of Hawaii. Pacific Science, 37( 1) :81-83 (1983)
Table 1 A comparison of females measurements of O. petrowi in the present study with other previous studies Character Body length Body width Esophagus length Distance of nerve ring from anterior end Egg length Egg width distance of vulva from posterior end
Skrjabin, 1929 9.2 0.42 0.95
Barus, 1965 5.9-6.2 0.25-0.32 0.62
Pence , 1972 7.70-12.35 (10.17) 0.20-0.46 (0.31) 0.55-0.73 (0.62)
present study 5.548- 9.534 ( 8.00 ) 0.208 -0.432 (0.293) 0.520- 0.728 (0.641 )
0.16-0.17
0.16
0.11-0.16 (0.14)
0. 129 - 0.156 (0.139)
0.039-0.041 0.026-0.028
0.038-0.040 0.026-0.028
0.035 - 0.044 (0.039) 0.015-0.031 (0.026)
0.015- 0.021 (0.018 ) 0.010
0.41-0.43
0.29-0.36
0.50-0.70 (0.59)
0.380 -0.556 (0.478)
Fig. 2: Female of Oxyspirura petrowi, eggs in uterus.
Fig. 3: Female of Oxyspirura petrowi, Posterior end.
*******
1128
