Drepanidotaeniases

helminthic diseases of geese, ducks, and wild waterfowl caused by cestodes of the genus Drepanidotaenia. They occur everywhere. Drepanidotaeniae are tapeworms, 10-20 cm long, light-yellow or white in color; their intermediate hosts are the small crustaceans Cyclops and Diaptomus. Fowl become infected with drepanidotaeniases in shallow bodies of water (ponds, swamps, pools, and the like) where great masses of Cyclops develop. Outbreaks of drepanidotaeniases in which large numbers of young birds die usually occur at the beginning of summer. The sick birds are depressed, lose their balance, fall often, and grow thin to the point of emaciation. Used in treatment are filixanum, arecoline solution, and other anthelmintics. Prevention consists in raising young birds in isolation; organizing poultry farms on large, deep lakes, oxbows of rivers, or clean ponds where there are few or no Cyclops;, and on especially unfavorable farms, raising geese and ducks on dry land.