Gastro-intestinal helminths of pigeons (Columba livia) in Gujarat, India

A study was conducted to assess the prevalence of helmith parasites of domestic wild and zoo pigeons in Gujarat, India by faecal sampling and postmortem examination. Qualitative examination of 78 faecal samples revealed 71 (91%) with parasitic infections of nematodes (85%), cestodes (31%) and Eimeria sp (77%). There were 200-1600 nematode eggs per gram during the monsoon season, which was high compared to the 200-1000 eggs per gram in winter and summer. In post-mortems 85% had parasitic infections, of nematodes (75%), cestodes (69%) and Eimeria sp (58%). Two species of nematodes (Ascaridia columbae and Capillaria obsignata) and five species of three genera of cestodes (Raillietina echinobothridia, R. tetragona, R. cesticillus, Cotugnia digonophora and Hymenolepis sp) were identified. Despite their parasitic infections, not a single pigeon revealed any alarming clinical signs

Studies on gastro-intestinal helminths of Equus acinus in North Gujarat, India

A year round study (October to September) was conducted in the districts of North Gujarat (India) to identify the gastro-intestinal helminths of donkeys (Equus acinus), determine prevalence and correlate haematological parameters with parasite burdens. A total of 1794 faecal samples of donkeys contained the following helminths (prevalence % in brackets): Strongyloides westeri (17.2), Parascaris equorum (23.8), Strongylus sp. (55.3), an amphistome digenean (1.5), Anoplocephala sp. (1.0), Balantidium coli (13.1) and Eimeria leuckarti (7.0). Overall prevalence was 75.9 with a mean of 627 (50-1650) eggs per gram faeces. Seasonally the maximum prevalence (85.3) occurred in March and minimum (65.2) in July. 14% of donkeys were considered to be severely infected, 38% heavily, 36% moderately and 12% mildly infected. Larval cultures revealed the presence of (prevalence%): Cyathostomum sp. (48), Gyalocephalus sp. (8), Oesophagodontus sp. (6), Triodontophorus sp. (10), Strongyloides westeri (10), Strongylus vulgaris (30), Strongylus equines (40) and S. edentatus (30). Hematological indices were inversely proportional to epg counts.Keywords: donkeys, gastro-intestinal parasites, haematology, prevalence

Intensity of tropical cyclones during pre and post monsoon seasons in relation to accumulated tropical heat potential over Bay of Bengal

The aim of the present study is to understand the impact of oceanic heat potential in relation to the intensity of tropical cyclones (TC) in the Bay of Bengal during the pre-monsoon (April–May) and post-monsoon (October–November) cyclones for the period 2006–2010. To accomplish this, the two-layer gravity model (TLGM) is employed to estimate daily tropical cyclone heat potential (TCHP) utilizing satellite altimeter data, satellite sea surface temperature (SST), and a high-resolution comprehensive ocean atlas developed for Indian Ocean, subsequently validated with in situ ARGO profiles. Accumulated TCHP (ATCHP) is estimated from genesis to the maximum intensity of cyclone in terms of minimum central pressure along their track of all the cyclones for the study period using TLGM generated TCHP and six-hourly National Centre for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis data. Similarly, accumulated sea surface heat content (ASSHC) is estimated using satellite SST. In this study, the relationship between ATCHP and ASSHC with the central pressure (CP) which is a function of TC intensity is developed. Results reveal a distinct relationship between ATCHP and CP during both the seasons. Interestingly, it is seen that requirement of higher ATCHP during pre-monsoon cyclones is required to attain higher intensity compared to post-monsoon cyclones. It is mainly attributed to the presence of thick barrier layer (BL) resulting in higher enthalpy fluxes during post-monsoon period, where as such BL is non-existent during pre-monsoon period