Parasitos gastrintestinais de avestruzes (Struthio camelus) de diferentes idades e sua ocorrência nas épocas seca e chuvosa em um criatório no Município de Itaboraí, Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Ostriches are susceptible to many diseases and until recently, many of them are unknown and can affect these animals when it comes to commercially breeding. In Brazil, the commercial establishment has been initiated 20 years ago, but already there are reports about the diseases that can affect these birds. The objectives of this study were identify morphologically gastrointestinal protozoans and nematodes of ostriches and see the variations: the parasitic infection that occurs in accordance to the dry and rainy seasons, and the elimination of eggs of nematodes and oocysts / cysts of protozoa by age, in a commercial establishment located in Itaboraí City, Microregion of Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro. During the period from June 2004 to May 2006 ostriches were separated into three age groups: up to 90 days, 91 to 365 days and over 365 days (adults). The collection was held monthly and fecal samples were individually obtained, placed in plastic bags, identified and kept under refrigeration until the moment to be examined. There were employed the techniques of centrifuge-flotation in saturated sucrose solution, centrifuge-sedimentation in formalin-ether, culture of feces and stained by Safranin-Metilen Blue, and Gomori trichrome of iron Hematoxylin. Meteorological data were also obtained to determine the dry and rainy seasons. There were identified the nematode Codiostomum struthionis and three genera of intestinal protozoa: Blastocystis, Entamoeba and Cryptosporidium. All birds younger than 365 days showed a higher frequency of the genus Cryptosporidium. Among the mixed infections the most common was the association of C. struthionis with Cryptosporidium. (17.74%) in adults. There was a greater shedding of Strongylida eggs (p <0.05) and also larger number of animals that shed oocysts / cysts of intestinal protozoans in feces during the rainy season (p <0.05). A larger number of animals less than 365 days eliminated cysts / oocysts of protozoa, which is significantly correlated to the genus Entamoeba in animals up to 90 days compared with 91 to 365 (p=0.036) and to the genus Blastocystis, in this case when compared with the over 365 days (p=0.09).