Syngamiasis in peafowl chicks: A case study

The occurrence of parasites is probably, the most damaging infection of birds and a source of serious economic loss. Gapes are considered to be serious menace in the artificial rearing of pheasants. Syngamus trachea, called as gapeworm can be acutely harmful especially in young birds. The present paper reports the S. trachea infestation in peafowl chicks in conservative breeding at Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bangalore, Karnataka. The four peafowl chicks were reported of having severe weight loss with poor development of breast muscle mass. The tracheal mucous membrane was extensively inflamed and congested and contained blood tinged exudates along with many live engorged medium-sized adult red worms. The clinical symptoms, gross lesions along with recovery of worms in tracheal lumen and detailed observation of microscopical features of worms and their eggs clearly confirmed the case to be syngamiasis.