Prevalence of gastro-intestinal helminths in free-range ducks in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

A survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of helminths in free-ranging adult ducks in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. The gastrointestinal tracts of 192 ducks (96 ducklings and 96 adult ducks) were examined for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites. Out of the 192 ducks, 100 (52%) were infected with one or several species of helminths. The average number of helminths per duck was 11, ranging from 1 to 55 helminths per duck. A total of 14 different helminths species belonging to five subfamilies were isolated from the intestinal tract and identified. The identified species were: Ascaridia columba (0.5%), Ascaridia dissimilis (0.5%) Ascaridia galli (23.4%), Capillaria anatis (0.5%), Capillaria annulata (3.1%), Capillaria conforta (7.3%), Heterakis dispar (0.5%), Heterakis gallinarum (14.1%), Heterakis isolanche (2.6%), Raillietina echinobothridia (0.5%), Raillietina tetragona (10.4%), Subulura brumpti (6.3%), Subulura strongyilina (0.5%) and Subulura sucturia (0.5%). The five subfamilies represented one cestode and four nematodes, whereas no trematodes were shown in the study. Prevalence of gastrointestinal worms was statistically significant higher (P<0.05) in ducklings than in the adult ducks, explaining the higher susceptibility of young birds to intestinal infestations. The work presents the first record of duck helminths in Tanzania. Further studies on the epidemiology and importance of worms in the growth and productivity of ducks under free range management system are indicated.