RESEARCH ARTICLE

Published Online: October 10, 2022

https://doi.org/10.31893/avr.2022015

Incidence of gastrointestinal parasites in Japanese

quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) in a hot and
humid tropical environment
Nadia Mildred D’souzaa*| Sai Rakesh Gundaa | Siddhartha Sankar Dasa |
Mathivathani Cattavarayanea | Angelina Felicia Bora Christophera
aDepartment of Veterinary Parasitology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Puducherry, 605009, India.

*Corresponding author: nadiadsouza29@gmail.com

Abstract Enteric parasites of Japanese quails were investigated in 4 different farms in a hot and humid tropical environment
of Puducherry in southern India. Samples were collected from the gastrointestinal tracts of freshly slaughtered birds from
the local poultry slaughter shops and were screened for the presence of endoparasites. Faecal samples were processed by
floatation (saturated salt solution) and sedimentation methods. Out of 60 faecal samples examined, 22 (36,66%) were
positive for gastrointestinal parasites. During the investigation, one cestode was found in gross in the small intestine of the
quail. The faecal examination revealed eggs of Ascaridia spp., Capillaria spp., and the oocyst of Eimeria spp. Out of 15
intestinal scrapings examined, 8 (53.33%) scrapings were positive for intestinal coccidiosis, and the remaining 7 (46.66%)
were positive for caecal coccidiosis. It was found that most of the nematodes and protozoan parasites were more prevalent
in the young age group than in the adult age group of quails. The study aimed to aid in controlling parasitic infections in
quail farms by regularly combining management and adequate therapy with efficient anthelminthic.
Keywords: birds, helminths, hot environments, poultry, Puducherry

1. Introduction
The Japanese quail is a member of the order Galliformes, under the family Phasidae, the genus Coturnix, and the species
japonica (Nasrollah 2008). Japanese quail farming is one of the most suitable and easily adaptable enterprises possessing low
capital investment and rapid turnover and are raised for their tasty meat and nutritious eggs all over the world, including in
India (Bughio et al 2020). Quail farming is significantly more profitable for farmers than any other poultry industry. The Indian
climate is regarded as suitable for rearing quails, and quail birds can adapt to any environment (Sangeeta 2020). Quail farms
have been developed in several areas of Puducherry, India, in recent years. Quail meat is low in calories, and quail eggs boost
the immune system, support healthy memory, stimulate the brain, and calm the nervous system. Raising the body's
haemoglobin levels and eliminating toxins and heavy metals aid in the treatment of anaemia. Due to its small size and short
generation interval, the Japanese quail is also popular as a laboratory animal (Abu et al 2016). It is also widely used in many
areas of behavioral, biomedical (Wilbor et al 1961), and embryological studies (Padgett and Ivey 1960). Quails are most
susceptible to various diseases, such as coccidiosis, a serious parasitic disease that limits the quail industry (Seok et al 2003).
The quail industry also suffers significant economic losses from various endoparasites, including protozoa and helminths
(Mohanty and Verma 1982). Therefore, it is imperative to control the parasitic infection in quail since failure to do so will
negatively impact the farmers' capacity to make a profit and maintain a small agricultural sector.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study period and area
The study was carried out to find out the incidence of gastrointestinal parasites in Japanese quails in the month of May
2022 on different farms in and around Puducherry. The faecal sample from GI tract and complete gastrointestinal tracts
(oesophagus to anus) were collected from slaughter shops run by farmers. A total of 60 faecal samples were collected from
poultry shops of 4 different farms in and around Puducherry, as shown in Table 1.
2.2. Study questionnaire

Appl. Vet. Res. (2022) 1:e2022015 Received: July 19, 2022 | Accepted: September 22, 2022
D’souza et al. (2022) 2

A study questionnaire was prepared to record information from the owner of quail farms. The information regarding
farm location, farming type, housing elements, deworming program, age of the bird, and management systems were recorded.
2.3. Sample collection
Gastrointestinal tracts of quails after slaughter were collected and placed in individual zip-locked bags. The samples
were labelled and transported to the Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education
and Research, Puducherry. If samples were not analysed immediately, they were kept in the fridge (4,0 °C) until they were
examined as per standard protocol by Soulsby. The intestines were dissected longitudinally and screened for the presence of
parasites. To remove the detritus from the parasites, they were gently washed in normal saline.

Table 1 Number of samples collected under different management systems.

No samples collected in and around Puducherry
Farm 1 (Poothurai) Farm 2 (Ariyankuppam) Farm 3 (Villianur) Farm 4 (Moratandi) Total number
Samples collected from 15 15 15 15 60
the gastrointestinal tracts

Age of the bird (<5 weeks) (≥5weeks) (≥5weeks) (<5 weeks)

Type of rearing Intensive Extensive Intensive Extensive

2.4. Faecal sample examination

Faecal samples were examined using direct examination, floatation (salt solution), and sedimentation. These methods
were qualitative, and the results were expressed as the presence or absence of parasites (Cervantes et al 2016) (Rochelle et al
2018). The eggs of gastrointestinal helminths and oocyst were diagnosed based on morphological characteristics, as described
by Soulsby (1986).
3. Results
In the present study, 60 faecal samples were collected from four different farms in and around Puducherry, India (Table
1). The age of quails on farms 1 and 4 were less than five weeks, and that of farms 2 and 3 were 5 weeks as shown in Table 1.
Out of 60 faecal samples of quails, 22 (36.66%) samples were found positive. The consolidated data on the incidence of ova of
helminthic and oocyst of protozoan parasites, obtained through faecal examination and intestinal scrapings, have been shown
in Tables 2 and 3. The results revealed the ova of 2 nematodes viz; Ascaridia sp, Capillaria spp, ova of one cestode, i.e.,
Raillietina sp, and oocyst of Eimeria spp. The study included quails of various age groups reared in intensive and extensive
management systems. Of the total examined quails, 30 were reared in an intensive production system, and the remaining 30
were extensively raised. Of this, 9 (33%) of the quails reared under an intensive system were positive for GI parasites, and 13
(43.33%) of extensively reared quails were positive for GI parasites. Out of 15 intestinal scrapings examined, 8 (53.33%) were
positive for intestinal coccidiosis, and 7 (46.66%) were positive for caecal coccidiosis.
4. Discussion
Quails were supposed to be more resistant birds than poultry, but due to poor management practices, the stress of
intensive rearing, poor hygiene etc, these species are now susceptible to several poultry diseases (Monte et al 2018). Many
factors, including the age of the birds, the amount of the infective dose, the age of the parasite eggs, and the host’s diet, are
thought to influence the development of worms in the gut (Afolabi et al 2016). It was observed that poor management
increases the incidence of both helminthic and protozoal infection in Japanese quail. The present study revealed a 36.66% (60)
overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in Japanese quails. In the present finding the cestode Raillietina spp. (1.6%);
and the nematode Ascaridia spp. (6.6%) and Capillaria spp. (5%) were prevalent among helminths in quails. The nematodes A.
galli and Heterakis gallinarum were also recorded by Movsessian and Pkhrikian (1994). According to Butcher and Miles (1992),
huge roundworms (A. galli) cause the most damage, particularly to young birds, by interfering with feed absorption, resulting
in poor growth and production. In severe infections, the worms may obstruct the intestines, resulting in death (Butcher and
Miles 1992). The incidence of protozoa (Eimeria spp.) was 21.6 percent. However, in this study, the birds did not show any
relevant clinical signs like diarrhea, one of the symptoms of coccidial infections in Japanese quails (Fernando 1982). Fernando
(1982) further stated that the severity of diarrhoea depends on many factors, such as oocyst doses, viability, development
sites, age of the bird’s concurrent diseases, and nutritional status. The birds didn't show gross or microscopic lesions in the
study conducted; however, one bird showed the presence of cestode in the gross fecal sample.

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D’souza et al. (2022) 3

Table 2 Percentage of Gastrointestinal Parasite Infection in Japanese Quails in and around Puducherry.
Sample Name of the parasite 60 faecal samples examined in total

No of birds found infected Infection rate (%)

Faecal sample Nematode

Ascaridia spp. 4 6.67

Capillaria spp. 3 5.0
Cestode

Raillietina spp. 1 1.6

Protozoa

Eimeria spp.
14 23.33

Mucosal scrapings Total mucosal scrapings (15)

No of birds found infected Infection rate (%)
Intestinal scrapings Eimeria spp. 8 53.33
Caecal scrapings Eimeria spp. 7 46.66

Table 3 Farm Wise Distribution of Different Parasites in Japanese Quails in and around Puducherry.

Number Of Cyst/Oocyst/Ova
Farm Total number of Age
(location) samples groups Infection
Ascaridia spp. Capillaria spp. Raillietina spp. Eimeria spp.
rate %

Farm 1 15 <5 5 33.33

(Poothurai) weeks
Farm 2 15 <5 4 2 40.00
(Ariyankuppam) weeks
Farm 3 15 ≥5 1 2 26.66
(Villianur) weeks
Farm 4 15 <5 3 5 53.33
(Moratandi) weeks

The occurrence of gastrointestinal parasitism in quail in this study could be related to the fact that the quails were free-
ranging and had access to infective stages in the environment, as well as shared parasitism from being bred with other poultry
species. This result was in agreement with the study of Abdullah and coworkers (2021) in Bangladesh, who showed 100 percent
prevalence of helminth infections in backyard chickens, and Magwisha and coworkers (2002) in Tanzania, who observed 100
percent prevalence of helminth infections in the free-range system regardless of age and sex of birds. This high prevalence of
helminth infection indicates that all free-ranging chickens are subclinically infected. The variation in parasite infection incidence
could be attributed to differences in the region's climatic conditions, the availability of intermediate hosts, or the acceptability
of management techniques (Hange et al 2007; Magwisha et al 2002; Percy et al 2012). The present study found the highest
infection rate for Eimeria spp. (21.6%), and the lowest infection rate was found for Raillietina (1.6%)
A low prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in farm 3 (20%) in comparison to farm 1 (33%), farm 2 (40%), and farm 4
(53.33%) was observed. This could be due to differences in management practices followed by the farmers in rearing quails in
different farms. The occurrence of mixed infection among different helminths and protozoa was also observed, and Ascaridia
spp. and Eimeria spp. was common mixed infection. The present investigation is also in tune with the observation made by
Islam (1985), who also noticed mixed infection between nematodes and cestodes in domestic fowls in Zambia. Rao and Sharma
(1992) noticed mixed infection of E.bateri and E. uzuro in Japanese quail. It was also observed that nematodes and protozoan
parasites were more common in young birds (42.2%) than in adult quails (20%). Trematodes were not recorded during this
study. This may be due to the lack of lakes and freshwater bodies in the studied area and so availability of insufficient snails,
dragonflies etc., since all trematodes have an indirect lifecycle. These results are consistent with the observations of

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D’souza et al. (2022) 4

researchers who noted that nematodes and protozoa are common in quails, but tapeworms are sporadic and trematodes and
acanthocephalans are uncommon (Naveen and Arun 1992; Kelogg and Calpin 1971).
However, the present findings may be influenced by the season (peak summer) during which the survey was done.
Parasitism causes reduced growth, egg production, emaciation, anaemia, and mortality (El-Ghany and Wafaa 2019). However,
the impact of the parasitic infection on the well-being of the quails was not investigated. Since the study was based on data
obtained retrospectively in a few farms, the findings do not reflect the true prevalence of the population and warrant further
investigation. In the present study, the species of Ascaridia, Capillaria, Raillietina, and Eimeria were not identified, and future
studies may be needed.
5. Conclusions
The study revealed nematodes (11.6%), cestodes (1.6%), and coccidia (23.33%) are prevalent in quail in a hot and humid
tropical environment. Based on their prevalence in different farms, some of the predisposing factors for parasitic infection in
commercial quails were identified as age, housing, management system, and presence of another animal. Birds reared in cages
and fed commercial diets are less prone to parasitic disease than those raised in deep litter systems. Due to the establishment
of quail farms and chicken farms, this species has become susceptible to various poultry diseases. There is a need for continuous
education on appropriate and preventive methods for controlling gastrointestinal parasites in quails.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the Dean, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, for providing the
necessary permission and extending the facilities for completing this work.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Funding
The current work had no financial support.
g from any agency.
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