Dr. Murai Éva - Gubányi András szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 27. (Budapest, 1994)

larvae were not found when we examined the wall of the dead birds' small intestine. Eighten out of 28 quails (64.3 %) were found to be susceptible. The infection intensity (the total number of helminths collected from the experimental birds divided by the number of infected birds) was between 2 and 27, average vitality (calculated from the ratio of the infection dose and the number of parasites present in the birds at dissection) was 11 %, and the abundance index (the total number of helminths collected from experimental birds divided by the number of experimental birds) was 10.9. Chickens were infected with ascarids taken from the quails at slaughter. Excretion of ascarid eggs from the chickens' intestine took place on postinfection day 30-32. The excretion of heterakid eggs from the quails' intestine started on day 22-25. Table 1. Experimental infections of quails and heas with the nematodes Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinae Bird species Number Infection dose Infected birds Ascaridia galli Heterakis gallinae of birds (eggs number) prevalence % abundance average abundance average index vitality index vitality Experimental infection with A galli Coturnix c. 28 100 63.3 10.9 11.0 Gallus g.dom. 14 150 85.7 47.0 37.0 Experimental infection with H. gallinae Coturnix c. 24 SO 29.0 4.5 10.5 Gallus g. dorn. 10 150 50.0 3.7 7.4 Mixed experimental infection with A. galli and H. gallinae Coturnix c. 24 50 29.0 4.5 21.6 3.0 15.0 Gallus g. dorn. 10 50 40.0 6.3 21.0 4.2 17.0 In mixed infection, the excretion of ascarid eggs from the intestines of experimental quails started on day 32-35 and that of heterakid eggs on day 23-26 after infection. At slaughter, 12 out of 14 experimental chickens (85.7 %) were found to be infected with ascarids. The intensity of infection was 18-121 specimens (average: 56 parasites), vitality was 37 %, and the abundance index was 47 (Table 1). When infecting the quails with eggs of//, gallinae, 14 birds out of 30 (47 %) became infected with an infection intensity ranging from 1 to 25 specimens (average: 10 specimens). Parasite vitality for the group was 10.5 %, while the abundance index was 4.5. In chickens infected with heterakids the prevalence of infection was 50 %, infection intensity was 1-17 specimens, parasite vitality for the group was 7.4 %, and the abundance index was 3.7 (Table 1). In the case of mixed infection, the prevalence of infection was 29 %, i.e. 7 birds out of 24 were mentioned to have the same mixed infection. Ascarids were found in the intestines of 6 quails, heterakids in 3. Overall infection intensity with ascarids was 9 (1-12), that with heterakids was 7 (1-11), average vitality for the group was 21.6 in the case of Ascaridia infection and 15 in the case of Heterakis infection, with an abundance index of 4.5 and 3, respectively.