Abstract
The periodicity of parasite egg excretion refers to variations in the number of eggs produced across time, with significant implications in optimizing diagnostic procedures and conducting the Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT). Here, we explore whether Ascaridia galli egg excretion varies across time under Philippine conditions, thus informing the best time to collect fecal samples during flock health examination. A time-course analysis was performed in chickens (N = 12) experimentally infected with A. galli, isolated from a naturally infected Philippine native chicken. We examined the fecal egg per gram (EPG) count at 3-h intervals for 3 days, starting from 5:00–6:00 h AM to the following day at 1:00–2:00 h AM. Our results showed a consistent daily egg excretion pattern with a peak EPG count in the morning that abruptly declined in the afternoon and lowest in the evening. The EPG counts correlated with the amount of excreta produced, suggesting that A. galli fecundity corresponds to the timing of host defecation. Our results imply that the best time to collect fecal samples for A. galli diagnosis and FECRT in Philippine conditions should be from sunrise until late morning when parasite EPG count and host excreta production are at their highest.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the support of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Visayas State University. This project is partly funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) through the MCM Dewormer Project.
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HPP contributed to the study conceptualization and design, supervised the conduct of the study, performed data analyses, organized data figures, wrote the first draft, and contributed to the final writing of the manuscript. ILT collected the samples, performed laboratory analysis, and organized the data. TJF Jr conceptualized and designed the study, supervised the conduct of the study, and contributed to manuscript writing.
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The CVM-VSU Research Committee has reviewed and approved the conduct of the study. The experiment was conducted following the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (FASS, 3rd Ed., 2010).
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Portugaliza, H.P., Tocmo, I.L. & Fernandez, T.J. Periodicity of Ascaridia galli egg excretion in experimentally infected chicken in the Philippines. J Parasit Dis 48, 53–58 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-023-01641-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-023-01641-3