Prevalence and molecular characterization of Raillietina tapeworms in house crows: implications for public health

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Raillietina tapeworms in house crows: implications for public health

Widely distributed house crows act as scavengers. This study investigated the prevalence and molecular characterization of potentially zoonotic Raillietina tapeworms. House crows were captured using mist nets. Tapeworms were preserved in 70% ethanol (−20°C) and identified morphologically and molecul...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wajid Ali Shah, Sumaira Shams, Wali Khan, Patricio De los Rios-Escalante, Nasib Khan, Mansoor Ahmad, Mashael Abdullah Aldamigh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Food & Agriculture
Subjects:
House crows
public health
prevalence
molecular characterization
environmental factors
tapeworms
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2025.2529382
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Widely distributed house crows act as scavengers. This study investigated the prevalence and molecular characterization of potentially zoonotic Raillietina tapeworms. House crows were captured using mist nets. Tapeworms were preserved in 70% ethanol (−20°C) and identified morphologically and molecularly. DNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform; 18S rDNA was amplified by PCR and visualized after gel electrophoresis. Logistic regression analyzed prevalence factors; chi-square tested associations between categorical variables and infection. Raillietina infected 47.22% of crows, with prevalence differing by sex, age, health, area, and month. Females had higher infection rates (60%) than males (31.2%) (OR = 5.00, CI: 1.25–22.70, p > .05; p > .05). Subadults (76.9%) were more susceptible than adults (30.4%), (OR = 0.81, CI = 0.19–3.23, p > .05; p < .05). Weak crows (63.6%) showed higher susceptibility compared to healthy ones (32%), (OR = 4.88, CI = 1.00–36.42, p > .05; p > .05). Urban crows showed significantly higher infection rates (55.5%) than rural crows (38.8%) (OR = 0.0481, CI = −5.119 to −1.405, p < .05; p > .05). Compared to colder months, prevalence was found higher during summer months, highest in June and August (OR = 2.073, CI = 0.7396–8.519, p < .05; p < .05). The study highlights zoonotic Raillietina prevalence and molecular identification, recommending future research on crow-human transmission pathways.
ISSN:2331-1932

Similar Items