Prevalence of Haemoproteus columbae (Apicomplexa: Haemoproteidae) and Trichomonas gallinae (Metamonada: Trichomonadidae) infections among pigeons (Columba livia) in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran

A cross-sectional survey was performed on domestic pigeons (Columba liviadomestica) to evaluate the prevalence of Haemoproteus columbae and Trichomonas gallinae in West Azerbaijan Province, northwest of Iran between July 2015 and September 2016. Five hundred and sixty oropharyngeal swab smears were examined, 297 (53%) of which were identified to be positive for T. gallinae. Also, the results obtained from blood smears examination indicated that 115 (20.5%) cases were found to be infected with H. columbae. The rates of T. gallinae and H. columbae infection infemale pigeons (58.3% and 21.3%, respectively) were higher compared to those in males. There were 76 (26.1%) and 210 (72.4%) cases of H. columbae and T. gallinae infection in adolescent birds, respectively, which were higher than those in other age groups. We found high prevalence rates of H. columbae and T. gallinae infections in domestic pigeons. Therefore, more attention should be focused on controlling the spread of T. gallinae and H. columbae infection in domestic pigeons.