M. K. Mohammad and A. A. Al-Moussawi

Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus.
(2013)12 (3): 31-36

RAILLIETINA ECHINOBOTHRIDA (MEGNIN,1881) (CESTODA:
CYCLOPHYLLIDEA) FROM THE HOUSE SPARROW PASSER

DOMESTICUS BIBLICUS HARTRET, 1881 COLLECTED IN BAGHDAD
CITY, CENTRAL IRAQ

Mohammad K. Mohammad* and Azhar A. Al-Moussawi

Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum, University of Baghdad,
Bab Al-Muadham, Baghdad, Iraq.
*email: amarmkm82@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The widespread house sparrow Passer domesticus biblicus has a close association with
humans and inhabits almost all ecosystems near human settlements in Iraq. It is exposed to
different kinds of parasites in its habitats. Examining of house sparrow for the cestode
parasites revealed that 25 specimens of 56 were infected with Raillietina echinobothrida.
Intensity among infected male and female hosts with this cestode and its description is
provided and discussed. The present finding constitutes the first record for this parasite in
house sparrow in Iraq.

INTRODUCTION
The house sparrow is a synanthropic bird species of historical commensal relationship with
man and has followed his colonization of the majority of the earth (Vincent, 2005). The
House Sparrow is primarily associated with areas modified by humans including agricultural
land, villages and urban centers (Summers-Smith, 1988; Lowther and Cink, 1992). It occurs
naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region and much of Asia (Summers-Smith,
1988;Vincent, 2005). It was accidentally or intentionally introduced to many regions
including Australia, Africa and the Americas may be because of its potentiality to adapt with
a wide range of new conditions (Summers-Smith, 1988; Martin and Fitzgerald, 2005) and the
extent of its range made it the most widely distributed wild bird on the planet (Anderson,
2006). This will contributes to much more exposure to new parasites as well as its role in
spreading new parasites into new regions and hence could affect the native fauna.

In Iraq, it inhabits almost all ecosystems near human settlements except the deep interior of
deserts (Allouse, 1962; Al-Dabbagh and Jiad, 1988; Salim et al., 2006). Works on parasites of
this species are rather few and fragmentary including that of Shamsuddin and Mohammad
(1980), Mohammad (1990) and Mohammad and Al-Moussawi (2012a) on haematozoa;
Abdulabas (2005) and Mohammad and Al-Moussawi (2012b) on helminthes.

The aim of the present study is to provide examination results about the cestode helminthes
infect the house sparrow in Baghdad city, central Iraq.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 56 individuals of house sparrow (36 males and 20 females) were collected in
Bab-Al-Muadham, Baghdad city by mist net during the period from March to December 2011.
Birds were immediately dissected and the intestines were searched carefully for the cestode

mailto:amarmkm82@yahoo.com

Raillietina Echinobothrida

helminthes. The recovered cestodes were cleane, stained with acetocarmine, passed through a
series of alcohol concentrations 70, 80, 90 and 100%, and mounted in Canada balsam.
Micrographs were taken with digital camera (Infinity lite-K 100) attached to compound
microscope (Micros MCX 100). All measurements are in millimeters unless otherwise stated
and expressed as mean followed by range in parentheses. Identification of the cestode was
possible following the available keys and descriptions of Wardle and McLeod (1952),
Yamaguti (1959), and Sawada (1965).

RESULTS
Results of examining 56 house sparrows for the cestode parasites would show that 25
specimens (44.6%) were infected with one cestode species, Raillietina echinobothrida
(Megnin, 1881). Cyclophyllidea, Davaienidae. (Figs. 1-3).

Description: Scolex width 0.189 (0.137-0.292), rostellum diameter 0.095 (0.025-0.128) with

a double crown of 200-250 hooks, each hook of 0.010-0.013 long, sucker
diameter 0.089 (0.050-0.156) with 8-10 circles of small spines, neck width
0.162 (0.100-0.240), strobila length 28.378 (16.00-42.48), width 0.903 (0.450-
1.560), genital apertures unilateral, length of cirrus pouch 0.096 (0.050-0.162),
testes number 22 (20-30), egg sacs differ in the number of eggs 6 (2-14), egg
diameter 6.8 µ (2-9) with a hexacanth onchosphere of length 4-6µ.

The general intensity of the cestode among male and female hosts is 6.24 (1-35). Among
the infected hosts, there are 17 males with intensity of 6.06 (1-35) and 8 females with
intensity of 6.63 (1-35).

DISCUSSION
Recording of one species and probably another unidentified one which belongs to the same
genus only, is mostly related to collection of all examined in one point at one area, a garden in
Bab Al-Muadham District, Baghdad City, a totally intense human settlement region, which
seems not offering the suitable conditions for different kinds of parasitic helminth species to
thrive. Marzluff (1997) suggested that urban settlement can change ecosystem processes,
habitat, food, predators, competitors, and disease. Another factor may play role in this, is the
rich food supply in human settlements which has an effect on the ability of nestlings to
withstand parasitism (Vincent, 2005). However, apparently another species of Raillietina was
recovered from the intestine of one host. The specific identification could not be possible due
to distortion of specimens.

Although the house sparrow is frequently reported to be infected with a wide variety of
cestodes, for example; Sawada (1965) recorded Raillietina neplais, Baugh and Saxena (1976)
found five species of cestodes and Saxena and Baugh (1978) who found two cestodes.
Raillietina echinobothrida was not reported in all of these papers and most of the material
examined in the previous records were collected from suburban and rural areas. However, to
the best of our knowledge, this is the first record for this parasite in Passer domesticus
biblicus in Iraq.

Results show that the intensities of infection with R. echinobothrida in male and female
hosts are almost the same. This may, partly at least, related to biparental care nature of
incubation in house sparrow (Bartlett et al., 2005) which needs both mates to exert almost
equal efforts in incubation period as well as to be exposed for the same parasite vector during
the feeding of nestlings.

M. K. Mohammad and A. A. Al-Moussawi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors wish to express their deep gratitude to Mrs. Khalida Ibrahim and Mrs. Hind
Dhiaa of Parasitology section, Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum, University
of Baghdad for their help in lab preparations.

LITERATURE CITED
Abdulabas, S. K. 2005. Identificational study of parasitic fauna on three species of

Passeriformes family and its physiological effects in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf
governorate. M.Sc. thesis , college of science, University of Kufa, 85pp.

Al-Dabbagh, K.Y. and Jiad, J.H. 1988. The breeding biology of the House Sparrow in central

Iraq. Intern. Stud. Sparrows 15: 22-43.

Allouse, B. E. 1962 Birds of Iraq vol. 3 (Passeriformes). Ar-Rabitta Press, Baghdad, 288pp.

Anderson, T. R. 2006 Biology of the Ubiquitous House Sparrow: from Genes to Populations.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bartlett, T. L., Mock, D. W. and Schwagmeyer, P. L. 2005 Division of labour: Incubation and

biparental care in house sparrows (Passer domesticus). The Auk, 122(3):835–842.

Baugh, S. C. and Saxena, S. K. 1976 On cestodes of Passer domesticus I. Choanotaenia,

Raillietina and Proparuterina. Angew Parasitol.,17(3):146-60.

Lowther, P. E. and Cink, C. 1992. House Sparrow. A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill (eds).

The Birds of North America. No. 12. The American Ornithologists' Union and
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
USA.

Martin, L. B., II, Fitzgerald, L. 2005 A taste for novelty in invading house sparrows, Passer

domesticus. Behavioral Ecology 16 (4): 702–707.

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Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests: A Literature Review. (Block, M. and Finch,
D. M.). General Technical Report RM-GTR 292. (USDA Forest Service).

Mohammad, M.K. 1990 Blood parasites of some Iraqi wild birds. Iraqi J. Sci.,

31(Supplement):31-39.

Mohammad, M. K. and Al-Moussawi, A. A. 2012a Blood parasites of some Passeriform

birds in Baghdad ardea, Central Iraq. Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus.,12 (1): 29-36.

Mohammad, M. K. and Al-Moussawi, A. A. 2012b Gizzard nematodes of the house sparrow

Passer domesticus Hartret collected in Baghdad City, Central Iraq. Bull. Iraq nat.
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Raillietina Echinobothrida

Sawada, I. 1965. On the genus Raillietina. Fuhrmann 1920 (II). J. Nara Gakuge "Iniv. (Nat.).

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Saxena, S. K., Bauch, S. C. 1978 On cestodes of Passer domesticus II. Anonchotaenia and

Mathevotaenia. Angew Parasitol.,19(2):85-106.

Shamsuddin, M. and Mohammad, M.K. 1980 Haematozoa of some Iraq birds with description

of two new species, Haemoproteus pterocles and Leucocytozoon nycticoraxi
(Protozoa: Haemosporina). Bull. Nat. Hist. Res. Centre, 7(4): 111-154.

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Poyser Limited, Calton, England.

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Passer domesticus population in Britain. Ph. D. thesis, De Montfort University, U.
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Inc., New York. 878 pp.

Fig. 1: Raillietina echinobothrida, scolex.

M. K. Mohammad and A. A. Al-Moussawi

Fig. 2: Raillietina echinobothrida, mature segments.

Fig. 3: Raillietina echinobothrida, gravid segments with egg capsules.

Raillietina Echinobothrida

Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus.
(2013)12 (3): 31-36

المتطفلة في العصفور Raillietina echinobothridaالدودة الشریطیة

الدوري في مدینة بغداد وسط العراق

محمد كاظم محمد و أزھار أحمد الموسوي
جامعة بغداد، باب المعظم، بغداد، -مركز بحوث ومتحف التاریخ الطبیعي
العراق

الخالصة

صلة وثیقة Passer domesticus biblicusللعصفور المنزلي
و یتواجد في اغلب النظم البیئیة قرب التجمعات البشریة في العراق ، باإلنسان

.ویتعرض ھذا الطائر إلى اإلصابة بالطفیلیات في بیئتھ

من مجموع ٢٥تبین إصابة ،ئرأثناء البحث عن الدیدان الشریطیة في ھذا الطا

Raillietinaبالشریطیة%) ٤٤٫٦(فردا منھ وبنسبة إصابة ٥٦
echinobothrida . تمت مناقشة شدة اإلصابة في كال جنسي الطائر ووصف

فور المنزلي ھو األول في یعتبر تسجیل ھذه الدودة في العص .للدودة الشریطیة
.العراق