Evaluation of Cryptosporidium infection in native birds (poultry, turkey and pigeon) in Zabol

Cryptosporidium is one of the important common parasites in livestock, poultry and humans, which is very important from the health and economic point of view. The aim of the present study was to investigate the infection with Cryptosporidium in native birds (chickens, turkeys, pigeons) in Zabol. In this study, 534 fecal samples from each native bird, including 260 samples from native chickens and roosters, 139 samples from turkeys, and 135 samples from pigeons were collected. The samples were stained by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique and studied with a light microscope .Based on our results, in 11 cases samples taken from birds were found to be infected with Cryptosporidium parasite. The frequency of infection in turkeys was 3.6%, in chickens (chickens and roosters) 0.8% and in pigeons 0.3%. The highest level of contamination was observed in turkeys, but there is no statistically significant difference between different groups of birds. The highest infection with cryptosporidium in terms of age was observed in birds more than one year old and in terms of location, it was observed in birds kept in closed space. The amount of pollution in winter season was more than other seasons. The results of this study showed that the infection with cryptosporidium in native turkeys is higher than other birds, so it is necessary to conduct more studies in this field and provide appropriate strategies  related to the prevention and control of this disease.