| dc.description.abstract | The study's primary objectives were to characterize the parasitic spectrum in
Yellow-billed Babblers and investigate trends in parasitism in individuals from
different habitat types, flock sizes, and according to the level of host maturity.
Thirty-seven birds were sampled from 18 different locations in Sri Lanka's Low
Land Wet Zone from November 2021 to May 2022. Identifying and quantifying
gastrointestinal parasites from faecal samples were done using direct smears and
concentration techniques. Thin, thick, and buffy-coat blood smears were prepared
to conduct microscopic identification of haemo-parasites. Ectoparasites were
mounted on glass slides for identification. Data were analyzed using Minitab-21
and SPSS-26 software. Parasitic prevalence in the Yellow-billed Babblers was 68%.
Five intestinal parasitic species (two protozoans; Isospora spp, Entamoeba spp, 3
nematode species; Trichuris spp, Strongyloid spp, and hookworm type eggs), one
haemoparsite species (Trypanosoma spp) and two ectoparasite species (Family –
Philopteridae and Ixodidae spp) were identified. 51.4 % were infected with gastrointestinal
parasitic species, 16.2% were infected with ectoparasites and 2.7% were
infected with haemoparasites. Among the gastrointestinal parasites, protozoan
infections (37.8%) were about two times higher than nematode infections
(18.9%). Sub-adults and individuals from large flocks had a high prevalence of
parasites. Overall parasitic prevalence was highest in the sub-urban areas while
ectoparasitic infections were most prevalent in urban habitats. The only blood
parasite recorded, the Trypanosoma spp found from the sub-urban habitat is a
notable finding as the trypanosomes have zoonotic potential. The study depicts the
importance of investigating the parasitic profiles of wild animals in order to
prevent zoonoses. | en_US |
