Significance of wildfowl populations and their parasite fauna

Populations of wildfowl have been categorised taxonomically into five families: Phasianidae, Tetraonidae, Scolopacidae, Otidae and Anatidae. They are of particular importance for agriculture, forestry and the game economy, and certain species also have an important role in the epizootiology of parasitic infections in domestic fowl and fish. That is why it is extremely important for the process of promoting the system of animal health protection to have knowledge regarding the etiology and epizootiology of parasitic infections in wildfowl. Diseases in wildfowl caused by protozoa are histomoniasis, trichomoniasis, malaria, coccidiosis, cryptosporidiosis, sarcocystosis, toxoplasmosis, and giardiasis. The most represented helminthiases in wildfowl are singamosis, capillariasis, trichostrongyliasis, ascaridiosis, heteraciosis, nematodosis of the glandular stomach, cestodoses and trematodoses. The most significant ectoparasites in wildfowl are mites, ticks, and fleas. The reduction of populations of certain widlfowl species in nature could present a major problem, having in mind the important role of these birds in ecosystems and biocenosis. The incidence, maintaining and spreading of parasitic infections among widlfowl are just some of the factors that affect the numbers of their populations.