Folia Parasitologica

Bird schistosomes of wildfowl in the Czech Republic and Poland

Jitka Rudolfová, D.T.J. Littlewood, Jiljí Sitko, Petr Horák

Folia Parasitologica 54 88-93 (2007)

In 2005, we dissected 102 wildfowl from the Czech Republic and 73 wildfowl from Poland including representatives of Anseriformes, Gruiformes and Gaviiformes. Schistosome infection was found in a total of 21 (29%) and 23 (23%) birds from Poland and the Czech Republic, respectively. All infected birds belonged to the order Anseriformes. The prevalences of nasal and visceral species were, respectively, 22% and 16% in Poland and 6% and 19% in the Czech Republic. Four species of schistosomes were found: Bilharziella polonica Kowalewski, 1895, Trichobilharzia regenti Horák, Koláøová et Dvoøák, 1998, T. szidati Neuhaus, 1952, and an undetermined schistosome from the intestinal wall of Anas penelope L. The finding of T. szidati represents the first record of the parasite from natural final host since the species description.

Address for correspondence: J. Rudolfová, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Phone: ++420 221 951 816; Fax: ++420 224 919 704; E-mail: atacama@centrum.cz