This is the first report of the digenetic trematode Paratanaisia bragai infestation in a ruddy ground dove Columbina talpacoti, captured in a suburban area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although with a low prevalence (10%), the intensity of infection was high, considering that 116 worms were recovered from one of the kidneys. Gross lesions were not observed and histopathological analysis showed very dilated renal collecting ducts with destruction and flattening of the lining epithelial cells, without inflammatory reaction. The pathological findings were compared to those previously reported for P. bragai in other hosts, since the proposal of the species in 1934.

An investigation on the digenetic trematodes parasitizing free range reared guinea fowls was conducted in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, based on clinical examination, necropsies and histopathologica l findings in 36 guinea fowls. Parasites, prevalence and intensity of infection were, respectively: Paratanaisia bragai, 61.1% and 31 (in each kidney); Athesmia heterolecithodes, 8.3% and 38; Conspicuum conspicuum, 2.8% and 1. A. heterolecithodes was highly pathogenic to guinea fowls, causing severe hepatic lesions. However, C. conspicuum and P. bragai were less pathogenic in the considered intensities of infection. This is the first time that these parasite species have been reported in Brazilian guinea fowls.

The kidney trematode Paratanaisia bragai is reported for the first time parasitizing the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L., 1758) The digenetic trematode Paratanaisia bragai (Santos, 1934) Freitas, 1959 parasitizes the renal medullary collecting ducts and ureters, mostly of Galliformes and Columbiformes hosts and also of Anseriformes and is distributed in the American continent and Phillipines (Maldonado 1941, Travassos et al. 1969, Mena et al. 1986, Fedynich et al. 1996. In Brazil, the species is one of the most prevalent in domestic birds and has already been reported in the kidneys of the pigeon (Columba livia Gmelin, 1798), the ruddy ground-dove (Columbina talpacoti Temminck, 1811), the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus Linnaeus, 1758), the guinea fowl (Numida meleagris Linnaeus, 1758), the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus, 1758), and also of a wild galliform, the spot-winged wood-quail (Odontophorus capueira Spix, 1825) (Travassos et al. 1969, Costa et al. 1975, Silva et al. 1990, Menezes et al. 2001, Pinto et al. 2004). The intermediate hosts for P. bragai are the terrestrial snails Subulina octona Brugière, 1789 and Leptinaria unilamellata Orbigny, 1835(Keller & Araujo 1992, Brandolini et al. 1997.The parasite has been considered of low pathogenicity, causing mild gross and microscopic lesions in the infected kidneys (Santos 1934, Maldonado 1941, Barretto & Filho 1942, Menezes et al. 2001, Pinto et al. 2004 ertheless, high parasitic burdens and the nature of the hosts, such as the domestic pigeon and the Puerto Rican plain pigeon (Columba inornata wetmorei), can determine the settling of clinical signs that include apathy, loss of weigh, diarrhoea and death (Portugal et al. 1972, Arnizaut et al. 1992.These controversial data, referred in the few available studies of the pathology induced by this trematode and the fact that after decades of the first report of the species, two new hosts for P. bragai, the guinea fowl and the ruddy ground-dove have been assigned (Menezes et al. 2001, Pinto et al. 2004, indicate that the range of the hosts and the lesions associated to this species are not well established so far.This investigation reports to data on the prevalence, mean intensity, mean abundance and range of infection of the digenetic trematode P. bragai and to the gross and microscopic lesions associated with this parasite in ringnecked pheasants from backyard flocks in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the establishment of a new host record.

Estudaram-se achados de necropsia de 454 espécimens de Leontopithecus. Quatorze (3,1%) apresentaram-se infectados por acantocéfalos intestinais identificados como Prosthenorchis elegans (Diesing, 1861). Não foram observadas diferenças na ocorrência do parasito quanto à espécie, origem - cativos ou selvagens - e sexo. Clinicamente os animais apresentaram-se com o pelame eriçado, apatia, inapetência, dores abdominais e diarréia. Em dois animais parasitados (14,2%), observou-se perfuração da parede intestinal. As lesões encontradas caracterizaram-se por uma grave enterite ulcerativa. A ocorrência desses parasitos reforça a necessidade do estabelecimento de protocolos sanitários rígidos no manejo das espécies de primatas do neotrópico.

In Brazil, reports of helminth infections occurring in turkeys are mostly restricted to general surveys of the parasites with no data on the associated pathology (Travassos 1965, Travassos et al. 1969, Vicente et al. 1995, in despite of the increasing economic importance of this bird for the ready-to-eat low fat food industry since the last decade. With respect to protozoans in this host there are no available reports of their occurrence in Brazilian turkeys to the date.Recently, Brener et al. (2006) studied the lesions caused by the gizzard nematode Cheilospirura hamulosa (Diesing, 1851) in turkeys from Brazilian backyard flocks, confirming its high pathogenicity, since this nematode species infects other galliform birds, mainly chickens and pheasants, provoking severe gross and microscopic lesions in these hosts. This paper deals with the prevalence and induced pathology of two helminth species, the intestinal nematode Heterakis gallinarum (Schrank, 1788), the renal digenetic trematode Paratanaisia bragai (Santos, 1934) Freitas, 1959, and the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis (Smith, 1895) in Brazilian turkeys. 24'44"S, 42 o 57'56"W) were investigated for helminths and protozoans. After individual clinical evaluation, taking into account the general conditions, birds were killed by jugular section (hypobolemic shock) and submitted to necropsy in accordance to the technique of Zander et al. (1997). Organs (digestive and respiratory tracts, liver, spleen, kidneys, and eyes) were opened in Petri dishes containing 0.85% NaCl solution. One of the kidneys of each animal was kept uncut for histological purposes. Helminths were fixed either in hot (nematodes) or cold (compressed/uncompressed trematodes) AFA (ethanol 70 o GL, 93 ml; formaldehyde, 5 ml; acetic acid, 2 ml). Portions of the parasitized organs were removed and immediately fixed in 10% formalin, to be further routinely processed for paraffin embedding. Five micrometers thick sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE). The recovered nematodes and trematodes were counted under a stereomicroscope. Some nematodes were clarified in acetic acid and phenol and mounted unstained in balsam; some trematodes were stained with alcoholic chloride carmine, dehydrated in an ethanol series (70-100 o ), cleared in phenol and mounted in balsam. Re- MATERIALS AND METHODS From RESULTSClinical signs were absent in turkeys parasitized with the cecal nematode H. gallinarum alone (Fig. 1); the prevalence of infection was of 70% with a range of intensity of 1-113 worms and a mean of 26 parasites; the microscopic lesions were represented by intense cecal chronic diffuse inflammatory processes with mononuclear and polymorphonuclear (heterophils) leucocytes infiltrations, that extended discretely to the submucosa, followed by edema. The mucosa presented multiple erosion foci together with parasites and cellular debris in transversal sections (Fig. 3).The prevalence of infection related to the association of H. gallinarum with the pleomorphic flagellate H. meleagridis w...