Parasitofauna survey of song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) from the eastern part of Spain.

Thrushes (Turdus spp.) are migratory passerine birds found in northern Europe during the summer months and in southern Europe and north of Africa during the winter. They constitute an important small game bird group very appreciated by Spanish hunters. Between October 2013 and February 2014, 90 adult song thrushes were collected for their exam. After necropsies, three species of helminths were macroscopically recovered from 15 birds (16.7%): Morishitium sp. (16.7%), Splendidofilaria mavis (6.7%) and Dilepis undula (7.8%). One of them showed an adult cestode in the lung. Moreover, 12 of the positive thrushes (80%) harboured microfilaria in pulmonary blood vessels and three of them (20%) were infected by Sarcocystis sp. on skeletal musculature. All parasitized birds showed lesions, ranging from mild to moderate airsacculitis, bronchitis and coelomitis associated to Morishitium sp. infection. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description of Sarcocystis spp. in song thrushes from Spain. Our results reveal the need for further studies to evaluate the epidemiological role of song thrushes as spreaders of parasites during their annual migration.

Trichomonas gypaetinii n. sp., a new trichomonad from the upper gastrointestinal tract of scavenging birds of prey.

In the context of an epidemiological study carried out by several wildlife recovery centers in Spain, trichomonads resembling Trichomonas gallinae were found in the oropharyngeal cavity of 2 Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) and 14 cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) which did not show any symptoms of trichomonosis. In order to characterize them, these isolates along with seven other T. gallinae isolates obtained from different hosts and from different geographical origin were analyzed. Genetic analyses were performed by sequencing the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) and the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S rRNA regions. The morphological study of the isolates in both light and scanning electron microscopy was also performed. The sequences obtained in the genetic analysis coincide with previously published sequences of an isolate named as Trichomonas sp., obtained from a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), and showed clear differences to the T. gallinae sequences (97 and 90-91% homology, respectively, for SSU-rRNA and ITS regions) and display higher similarity with Trichomonas vaginalis and Trichomonas stableri than with T. gallinae. Multivariate statistical analysis of the morphometric study also reveals significant differences between the trichomonads of vultures and the isolates of T. gallinae. The isolates from vultures presented smaller values for each variable except for the length of axostyle projection, which was higher. These results together with the different nature of their hosts suggest the possibility of a new species of trichomonad which we hereby name Trichomonas gypaetinii, whose main host are birds of the subfamily Gypaetinae.