Gastrointestinal parasites in ostriches (Struthio camelus)

OSTRICHES have been farmed commercially in South Africa for over a century. Local entrepreneurs, especially after ostrich leather became fashionable about 50 years ago, considered their farming to be highly profitable, mainly because of the high rate of the birds' reproduction. Since the mid 1980s, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of farmraised ratites so that, nowadays, it is an emerging industry in many countries. The focus of ostrich production remains in South Africa but ostriches and other ratites are now being produced commercially outside their native habitat, and this has resulted in new and unique disease presentations. In addition, semi-intensive farming is the most frequently used husbandry method for rearing ostriches, which may be of high economical interest but may also enhance parasitic infections. In terms of economical interest, there is an urgent need for an objective understanding of the current level of health and productivity of this livestock population. Although various parasitic species have accompanied ostriches to the northern hemisphere, current available literature contains little information regarding their evolution, pathogenesis, economic importance and control. Generally, and referring to endoparasites, those with direct life cycles have been well established, in contrast to species requiring