parasitic infections of free –range chickens from golestan province, iran

background: the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, intensity, and species of internal and external parasites of native fowls from golestan province, north of iran. methods: during 2007, different organs of 26 and 24  adult female native fowls  collected   from hu­mid parts (gorgan, kord kooy, ramian and bandar gaz) and dry regions  (gonbad kavoos, and ban­dar torkaman) of golestan province,  respectively were searched for parasite. two blood smears taken from each bird were stained with geimsa. external parasites and nematodes were preserved in 70 % alcohol containing 5% glycerin. cestodes were fixed in 10% formalin and stained with carmine acid for further studies. results: fifteen species of parasites were collected from alimentary canals, lungs, feathers and subcu­ta­neous nodules as follows: alimentary canal: ascaridia galli (56%), heterakis gallinarum (24%), capil­laria anatis (4%), cheilospirura hamulosa (4%), raillietina tetragona (58%), r. echinobothrida (6%), and choanotaenia infundibulum (8%); lungs: syngamus trachea (16%); feathers: monopon gallinae (40%), menacanthus stramineus (40%), liperus caponis (32%), goniodes dissimilis (38%), cuclogaster heterographus (8%), dermanissus gallinae (20%) and subcutaneous nodules: lami­nosioptes cysticola (6%). conclusion: the frequency distribution of most species was low. l. cysticola is the first host and distri­bution record for iran