Cestode fauna of feral pigeons in Thessaloniki; Northern Greece

The common pigeon (Columba livia) is adapted to a variety of habitats; including big cities and rural areas everywhere in the world. Several studies confirm that feral pigeons pose a considerable health risk to the livestock and human population. They may serve as a reservoir for several pathogenic agents that can be transmitted to poultry; wildlife; domesticated pets and humans. The aim of this survey was to investigate the cestode species present in feral pigeons in Thessaloniki; Northern Greece. A total of 136 adult feral pigeons were necropsied and the cestodes recovered were preserved for identification using morphological keys. Ninety-six (70.58 %) of them were found to be infected with cestode parasites; which were identified to be Raillietina spp.: 84 (61.76 %) were infected with R. echinobothrida; 20 (14.7 %) with R. cesticillus and 8 (5.88%) with R. tetragona. Single infection was recorded in 80 birds (83.3 % of the infected population); while a significantly lower number; i.e. 16 birds (16.7 %); had a mixed infection with R. echinobothrida and R. cesticillus (p ≤ 0.05). The current study confirms that feral pigeons in Northern Greece are heavily infected with cestode parasites. Therefore; it was concluded that feral pigeon management programmes and public education should be implemented to reduce the risk of a pigeon-to-human or livestock transmission of pathogenic agents and parasites in the country.