Ectoparasites encountered on Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) in Ahoué (Alépé, Côte d’Ivoire)

Guinea fowls are short-cycle birds raised for their meat and their eggs. Very few studies have been conducted on parasites infesting these birds. This study aims to improve their health in farming to enhance their productivity. To do this, 180 guinea fowls, including 87 with gray plumage and 93 with white plumage, were inspected from March to April 2025, at Ahoué poultry farm (Alépé, Côte d’Ivoire), in order to collect ectoparasites infesting them. These ectoparasites underwent morphological identification at the Laboratory of Animal Biology and Cytology of Nangui Abrogoua University according to appropriate keys. A total of 345 ectoparasites were collected, and they were exclusively lice. These lice were grouped into three species: Goniocotes gallinae, Goniodes gigas, and Menacanthus stramineus. The most predominant species was Goniocotes gallinae. It was found in all the guineafowls examined with an average abundance of 1.7 and represented 88.7% of the collected lice. In contrast, only 10% of the guineafowls hosted Goniodes gigas and 7.22% carried Menacanthus stramineus. These two species were less abundant (abundance of 0.12 and 0.10 respectively for Goniodes gigas and Menacanthus stramineus) and represented respectively 6.08% and 5.22% of identified lice. Regarding the average parasitic intensity, values were not significantly different (1.7 for Goniocotes gallinae, 1.16 for Goniodes gigas, 1.38 for Menacanthus stramineus). This study identified the main lice of the guinea fowl in southern Ivory Coast. Further studies will verify presence of pathogens in these lice that could be transmitted to guinea fowls or to the breeders.