Molecular identification of Cryptosporidium baileyi in Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata domesticus) in free-range production systems

ABSTRACT: Cryptosporidiosis is considered an infection with impact on animal health. It has been associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, leading to significant economic losses to the poultry industry. This study investigated the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in domestic ducks of family Anatidae (Cairina moschata) from two rustic commercial aviaries located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 315 fecal samples were collected from domestic ducks in two different areas (N=186 in area A and N=129 in area B). The microscopic analysis was conducted using a sugar centrifugal flotation technique for the identification of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, followed by PCR/sequencing analyses of the partial sequence of the 18S rDNA gene to determine the Cryptosporidium species. Of the 315 samples collected, only 10 (186/5.38%) from area A were positive for Cryptosporidium. The nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic analyses identified that all samples were identical (100%) and belonged to Cryptosporidium baileyi species, which is closely related to gastric species and of importance in animal health.

Keragaman genotipik entok (Cairina moschata) berdasarkan polimorfisme protein darah

<p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to identified genetic diversity of muscovy duck in Central Java through blood protein polymorphisms by using electrophoresis method.</p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Methods: </strong>Blood sample was collected from a total of 60 muscovy ducks from the districts of Demak, Magelang and Pekalongan, 20 samples each. The Electrophoresis Polyacrylamide Gel of Electrophoresis–Thin Layer Electrophoresis (PAGE-TLE) was used in this study. Parameters observed were protein of albumin (Alb), ceruloplasmin (Cp), transferrin (Tf) and amylase-I (Am-I). Gene frequency, heterozygosity (Ho) and genetic distance were analyzed by using DISPAN program.<strong></strong></p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Results</strong><strong>: </strong>The results showed that the Alb, Cp, Tf and Am-I of muscovy duck showing polymorphic characters. Gene frequency of Alb^B (0.61) was higher compared to Alb^A (0.39). Gene frequency of Cp^A (0.62) was higher than the Cp^B (0.38). Furthermore, gene frequency of Tf^A and Tf^B were 0.32 and 0.68, respectively as well as gene frequency of Am-I^A (0.82) was higher than Am-I^B (0.18). Muscovy duck population of Demak showed higher Ho value for Alb and Am-I, whereas Magelang showed higher value for Cp and Tf. Population of muscovy duck of Demak showed closer genetic distance to Pekalongan than Magelang.<strong></strong></p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The protein blood locus of three population of muscovy duck in Central Jawa showed polymorphic characters.

Lesions caused by anisakid and capillariid in Cairina moschata raised on Marajó island, state of Pará, Brazil

ABSTRACT The Muscovy duck is a commercially important bird on the island of Marajó usually raised in a peculiar system that includes supplying fish viscera to the birds under semi-extensive farming conditions. This enables a risk of contamination and losses in the production of these birds, resulting from injuries caused by helminth infections, especially nematodes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the histopathological changes caused by nematodes of the genera: Eucoleus, Anisakis and Contracaecum. Thirty-three ducks with lesions in the esophagus and ventricle were analyzed. Histopathological exams showed a mild inflammatory infiltrate in the submucosa of the esophagus caused by the fixation of E. contortus and third stage larvae of Anisakis sp., and we recorded third stage larvae of Contracaecum sp. parasitizing the ventricle, this being the first record of this parasite in ducks in Brazil.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of Cairina moschata and comparative genomic analyses

Background The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is an economically important duck species, with favourable growth and carcass composition parameters in comparison to other ducks. However, limited genomic resources for Muscovy duck hinder our understanding of its evolution and genetic diversity. Results We combined linked-reads sequencing technology and reference-guided methods for de novo genome assembly. The final draft assembly was 1.12 Gbp with 29 autosomes, one sex chromosome and 4,583 unlocalized scaffolds with an N50 size of 77.35 Mb. Based on universal single-copy orthologues (BUSCO), the draft genome assembly completeness was estimated to be 93.30 %. Genome annotation identified 15,580 genes, with 15,537 (99.72 %) genes annotated in public databases. We conducted comparative genomic analyses and found that species-specific and rapidly expanding gene families (compared to other birds) in Muscovy duck are mainly involved in Calcium signaling, Adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes, and GnRH signaling pathways. In comparison to the common domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos), we identified 104 genes exhibiting strong signals of adaptive evolution (Ka/Ks > 1). Most of these genes were associated with immune defence pathways (e.g. IFNAR1 and TLR5). This is indicative of the existence of differences in the immune responses between the two species. Additionally, we combined divergence and polymorphism data to demonstrate the “faster-Z effect” of chromosome evolution. Conclusions The chromosome-level genome assembly of Muscovy duck and comparative genomic analyses provide valuable resources for future molecular ecology studies, as well as the evolutionary arms race between the host and influenza viruses.