New reports of helminthes in captive exotic psittacine birds in Chile

Abstract

In spite of its importance, the helminthic fauna from psittacine birds has been poorly investigated in Chile. The occurrence of Tetrameres sp. is reported in Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae, a Schistorophus sp. in Platycercus flaveolus, and Dispharynx nasuta in P. flaveolus, Platycercus eximius, Platycercus elegans, Polytelis alexandrae, and C. novaezelandiae located in different aviaries of the Metropolitan Region of Chile. The first cases of Ascaridia platyceri in P. eximius and C. novaezelandiae are also described. Ascaridia platyceri and D. nasuta were implicated as the cause of serious and fatal disease in these exotic psittacine birds while, other organisms such as the Schistorophus sp. and Tetrameres sp. were clinically less significant.