Journal of Veterinary Parasitology

The study revealed 39.47 per cent Paratanaisia bragai (dos Santos, 1934) infection in kidney of domestic pigeon. The mean dimension of uncompressed specimens was 836.3 × 68.6 μm while the diameter of oral sucker was 159.8 μm. Acetabulum was absent and tegument had numerous spines. The entire middle third of the body was occupied by tortuous uterine coil filled with eggs whose dimension in utero varies from (60.5–68.0) × (21.6–27.40) μm with an operculum at one pole. The distance of operculum from the opposite pole measured 53.3 μm. Haemorrhages with occasional nodular growths noticed in the infected kidney. The collecting tubules revealed the presence of large number of P. bragai ova with cross section of the parasites. The presence of parasites and eggs led to extreme dilatation of the tubules with resultant atrophy of the lining epithelium with or without any cellular reactions of heterophils and mononuclear cells. Occasionally, dead parasites were surrounded by granulomatous inflammatory changes. Significance of infection and granulomatous lesions are compared and discussed. This is the first report of renal pathology due to P. bragai infection from India.