Status of parasitic infections in migratory birds in selected areas of Bangladesh

Authors

  • K.S. Islam Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • Anisuzzaman Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • J.P. Juthy Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • S.S. Bushra Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • M.Z. Alam Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • A.R. Dey Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24425/pjvs.2026.3595

Keywords

BLRI lake, migratory birds, parasitic infections, Tanguar Haor, zoonotic parasite

Abstract

Migratory birds are a source of natural beauty and help in maintaining ecosystems, pest control and pollination. However, as with other pathogens, gastrointestinal (GI) parasites residing within migratory birds consequently contaminate the environment through their droppings. The study was aimed at identifying and estimating the prevalence and spatial distribution of GI parasites in migratory birds. To do this, 265 fecal samples were collected, (Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) Lake, Dhaka: 203), (Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj: 62), from October 2022 to March 2023. Samples were processed and examined using flotation and sedimentation techniques. Overall prevalence of parasites was 19.2% (51 out of 265). Parasites belonging to ten genera were identified, including Ascarid (2.3%), Capillaria (2.3%), Echinuria (0.8%), Heterakis (0.8%), nematode larva (3.4%), Strongyloides (1.9%), Tetrameres (0.8%), Echinostome (4.5%), Raillietina (1.1%), Eimeria (2.6%) and Isospora (2.3%). We detected the highest infections caused by nematodes (10.9%), followed by protozoa (4.9%), trematodes (4.5%), and cestodes (1.1%). Infections were almost equal in Tanguar Haor (19.4%) and the BLRI lake (19.2%). Statistically significant variation among nematode, trematode, cestode and protozoan infections were detected at the BLRI lake (p<0.001) but were insignificant (p>0.05) at Tanguar Haor. Most importantly, we also detected zoonotic parasites (4.5%), suggesting potential zoonotic relevance. This indicates that strict guidelines regarding hygienic measures while visiting areas densely populated with migratory birds should be circulated.

References

Alam MZ, Dey AR, Parvin S, Akter S, Rony SA (2021) ITS1-PCR based identification of chicken Eimeria species in poultry litter from Mymensingh district, Bangladesh. J Adv Vet Anim Res 8: 489-493

Alfonzo A, Francesca N, Sannino C, Settanni L, Moschetti G (2013) Filamentous fungi transported by birds during migration across the Mediterranean sea. Curr Microbiol 66: 236-242.

Altizer S, Bartel R, Han BA (2011) Animal migration and infectious disease risk. Science 331: 296-302.

Anisuzzaman, Alim MA, Rahman MH, Mondal MMH (2005) Helminth parasites in indigenous ducks: seasonal dynamics and effects on production performance. J Bangladesh Agril Univ 3: 283-290.

Birmani NA, Dharejo AM, Khan MM (2011) A new species of Polymorphus Luhe, 1911(Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) in Black Coot, Fulica atra (Aves: Rallidae), Pakistan. Zootaxa 2929: 64-68.

Bobrek K, Urbanowicz J, Chorbinski P, Gaweł A (2017). Molecular analysis of Trichomonas gallinae in racing pigeons from Upper Silesia, Poland. Pol J Vet Sci 20: 185-187.

Calvete C, Estrada R, Lucientes J, Estrada A, Telletxea I (2003) Correlates of helminth community in the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa L.) in Spain. J Parasitol 89: 445-451.

Chantima K, Chai J-Y, Wongsawad C (2013) Echinostoma revolutum: freshwater snails as the second intermediate hosts in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Korean J Parasitol 51: 183.

Clark NJ, Clegg SM, Klaassen M (2016) Migration strategy and pathogen risk: non‐breeding distribution drives malaria prevalence in mi-gratory waders. Oikos 125: 1358-1368.

Dey AR, Begum N, Alim MA, Malakar S, Islam MT, Alam MZ (2020) Gastro-intestinal nematodes in goats in Bangladesh: a large-scale epidemiological study on the prevalence and risk factors. Parasite Epidemiol Control 9: e00146.

Egan S, Barbosa AD, Feng Y, Xiao L Ryan U (2024) The risk of wild birds contaminating source water with zoonotic Cryptosporidium and Giardia is probably overestimated. Sci Total Environ 912: 169032

Enabulele EE, Lawton SP, Walker AJ, Kirk RS (2023) Molecular epidemiological analyses reveal extensive connectivity between Echinos-toma revolutum (sensu stricto) populations across Eurasia and species richness of zoonotic echinostomatids in England. Plos One 18: e0270672.

Faizullah, Jan SU, Taj K, Zia-Ud-Din, Akbar M, Sattar A, Akbar H (2022) Morphological and molecular evidences of Ascaridia galli in migratory quail Coturnix coturnix japonica from Baluchistan Pakistan. Braz J Biol 82: e258647.

Garedaghi Y, Farhang HH, Pooryagoobi S (2011) Parasitic contamination of fresh vegetables consumed in Tabriz, Iran. Res J Biol Sci 6: 518-522.

Gill F, Donsker D, Rasmussen P (2023) Updates to the IOC World Bird List. https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/

updates/.

Gonzalez-Prieto AM, Hobson KA (2013) Environmental conditions on wintering grounds and during migration influence spring nutritional condition and arrival phenology of Neotropical migrants at a northern stopover site. J Ornithol 154: 1067-1078.

Hasan B, Sandegren L, Melhus A, Drobni M, Hernandez J, Waldenstrom J, Alam M, Olsen B (2012) Antimicrobial drug – resistant Esche-richia coli in wild birds and free-range poultry, Bangladesh. Emerg Infect Dis 18: 2055-2058

Hubalek Z (2004) An annotated checklist of pathogenic microorganisms associated with migratory birds. J Wildl Dis 40: 639-659.

Hurlbert AH, Liang Z (2012) Spatiotemporal variation in avian migration phenology: citizen science reveals effects of climate change. PloS One 7: e31662.

Islam MR, Bhuiyan MAI, Begum A, Jhinu ZN (2024) Avian nematode parasites of some wild birds of Bangladesh. Bangladesh J Zool 52: 39-55.

Khan A, Dharejo AM, Birmani NA, Bilqees FM, Khan MM (2008) Description of a new Acanthocephalan Polymorphus fatimaae n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from Crow (Corvus splendens Vieillot). Int J Biol Biotechnol 5: 33-36.

Khan F, Jan S, Taj K, Din ZU, Tariq MM, Khan MA, Essa M, Ghayas A, Akbar H, Rashid MI, Matiullah M, Zafar A, Turkoglu M, Eyduran E (2022) Molecular Identification of Eimeria tenella in Migratory Birds, Quails, and Coturnix japonica in Balochistan, Paki-stan. Int J Med Parasitol Epidemiol Sci 3: 90-96.

Khatun MN, Tasnim S, Hossain MR, Rahman MZ, Hossain MT, Chowdhury EH, Parvin R (2024) Molecular epidemiology of avian influ-enza viruses and avian coronaviruses in environmental samples from migratory bird inhabitants in Bangladesh. Front Vet Sci 11: 1446577.

Klaassen M, Hoye BJ, Nolet BA, Buttemer WA (2012) Ecophysiology of avian migration in the face of current global hazards. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 367: 1719-1732.

Koprivnikar J, Leung TL (2015) Flying with diverse passengers: greater richness of parasitic nematodes in migratory birds. Oikos 124: 399-405.

Levin II, Zwiers P, Deem SL, Geest EA, Higashiguchi JM, Iezhova TA Jiménez-Uzcátegui G, Kim DH, Morton JP, Perlut NG, Renfrew RB, Sari EHR, Valkiunas G, Parker PG (2013) Multiple lineages of avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium) in the Galapagos Islands and evidence for arrival via migratory birds. Conserv Biol 27: 1366-1377.

Mascarenhas CS, Kruger C, Muller G (2009) The helminth fauna of the red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata) Passeriformes: Emberizidae in Brazil. Parasitol Res 105: 1359-1363.

Mas-Coma S, Valero MA, Bargues MD (2008) Effects of climate change on animal and zoonotic helminthiases. Rev Sci Tech 27: 443-457.

Millan J, Gortazar C, Villafuerte R (2004) A comparison of the helminth faunas of wild and farm‐reared red‐legged partridge. J Wildl Manag 68: 701-707.

Moller AP, Szep T (2011) The role of parasites in ecology and evolution of migration and migratory connectivity. J Ornithol 152: 141-150.

Nebel S, Bauchinger U, Buehler DM, Langlois LA, Boyles M, Gerson AR, Price ER, McWilliams SR, Guglielmo C (2012) Constitutive immune function in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, is decreased immediately after an endurance flight in a wind tunnel. J Exp Biol 215: 272-278.

Noor KA, Hasan MM, Anisuzzaman, Alam MZ, Khatun MS, Dey AR (2025) Diversity of parasitic fauna in semiscavenging indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in Bangladesh. Vet Med Sci 11: e70211

Parsa FR, Bayley S, Bell F, Dodd S, Morris R, Roberts J, Wawman D, Clegg SR Dunn JC (2023). Epidemiology of protozoan and helmin-thic parasites in wild passerine birds of Britain and Ireland. Parasitol 150: 297-310.

Poulin R, Morand S (2000) The diversity of parasites. Q Rev Biol 75: 277-293.

Pratnicka A, Sokol R, Iller M (2024) Parasitic survey of birds of prey used for falconry in Poland. Pol J Vet Sci 27: 567-574.

Pulgarin‐R PC, Gomez C, Bayly NJ, Bensch S, FitzGerald AM, Starkloff N, Kirchman JJ, González-Prieto AM, Hobson KA, Ungvari-Martin J, Skeen H, Castaño MI, Cadena CD (2019) Migratory birds as vehicles for parasite dispersal? Infection by avian haemosporidians over the year and throughout the range of a long‐distance migrant. J Biogeogr 46: 83-96.

Qiu Y, Lv C, Chen J, Sun Y, Tang T, Zhang Y, Yang Y, Wang G, Xu Q, Zhang X, Hong F, Hay SI, Liqun Fang L, Liu W (2025) The global distribution and diversity of wild-birdassociated pathogens: an integrated data analysis and modeling study. Med 6: 100553.

Rabbi MG, Mila FTZK, Mim EZ (2020) Migratory Birds of Bangladesh and East Asian-Australasian Flyway Network Sites. Bangladesh Forest Department, Bangladesh, p 107.

Ramey AM, Reed JA, Walther P, Link P, Schmutz JA, Douglas DC, Stallknecht DE, Soos C (2016) Evidence for the exchange of blood parasites between North America and the Neotropics in blue-winged teal (Anas discors). Parasitol Res 115: 3923-3939.

Rosa MS, Lima H, Campos G, Camargo MV, Aquino MS, Bittencourt TM (2017) Enteroparasites of the families Eimeriidae and Ascaridi-dae in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) in the metropolitan region of the Cuiabá river valley, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Vet Not 23: 1-6.

Sah R, Khadka S, Hamal R, Poudyal S (2018) Human echinostomiasis: a case report. BMC Res Notes 11: 17.

Satterfield DA, Marra PP, Sillett TS, Altizer S (2018) Responses of migratory species and their pathogens to supplemental feeding. Phil Trans R Soc B 373: 20170094.

Siddiqui TR, Hoque MR, Roy BC, Anisuzzaman, Alam MZ, Khatun MS, Dey AR (2023) Morphological and phylogenetic analysis of Rail-lietina spp. in indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in Bangladesh. Saudi J Biol Sci 30: 103784.

Smith MM, Ramey AM (2015) Prevalence and genetic diversity of haematozoa in South American waterfowl and evidence for interconti-nental redistribution of parasites by migratory birds. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 4: 22-28.

Sohn WM, Kim HJ, Yong TS, Eom KS, Jeong HG, Kim JK, Kang AR, Kim MR, Park JM, Ji SH, Sinuon M, Socheat D, Chai JY (2011) Echinostoma ilocanum infection in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia. Korean J Parasitol 49: 187-190.

Thienpont D, Rochette F, Vanparijs O (1986) Diagnosing Helminthiasis by Coprological Examination. 2nd ed., Beerse, Belgium, pp 142-155.

Viana DS, Santamaria L, Figuerola J (2016) Migratory birds as global dispersal vectors. Trends Ecol Evol 31: 763-775.

Waldenstrom J, Bensch S, Kiboi S, Hasselquist D, Ottosson U (2002) Cross‐species infection of blood parasites between resident and mi-gratory songbirds in Africa. Mol Ecol 11: 1545-1554.

Youssef AI, Mansour DH (2014) Potential role of migratory quail in spreading of some zoonotic pathogens in Egypt. Am J Anim Vet Sci 9: 203-210.

Zurell D, Graham CH, Gallien L, Thuiller W, Zimmermann NE (2018) Long-distance migratory birds threatened by multiple independent risks from global change. Nat Clim Chang 8: 992-996.

Downloads

Published

2026-09-17

How to Cite

Islam, K.S., et al. “Status of Parasitic Infections in Migratory Birds in Selected Areas of Bangladesh”. Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences, vol. 29, no. 3, Sept. 2026, pp. 371-80, doi:10.24425/pjvs.2026.3595.

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.