First Report of Heterakis gallinarum in Gould's Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) in Mexico

In the 2009 hunting season in the state of Durango, Mexico we obtained 21 Castro Intestinal Tracts (GIT) of adult male Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana, Gould, 1856). Analysis of the each GIT resulted in the recovery of 2,549 adult parasites of which 59.4% were Nematodes of the order Ascaridida and species Heterakis gallinarum. We found 1,511 H. gallinarum in the large intestine, 99% of which were in the caecum and 1% in the colon. Many researchers have reported the presence of H. gallinarum in different subspecies of Wild Turkey but never in the Gould subspecies. Members of the genus Heterakis are known to be found only in the caeca of birds are small in size (7-13 mm), whitish or pale in color and lay eggs that are on average, 65-80 mu in length. It is the first record of Heterakis gallinarum in wild Turkey in Mexico.