Identification of Parasites from Wisconsin and Minnesota Diving Ducks in the Winona Area

Many different diving ducks in the Midwest are hosts to parasites like cestodes, trematodes, and nematodes. These parasites often live in the ducks gastrointestinal tract and use the ducks chyme and intestinal tissues to thrive. For this research, local hunters volunteered to donate diving duck carcasses they harvested. Ducks donated were cut open on the ventral side from esophagus to cloaca. Major organs were separated into bottles containing 0.85% saline, shaken, settled, and then the supernatant removed multiple times to isolate any parasites residing within the duck’s organs and tissues. Any parasites found in dissected diving ducks organ wash were picked through, identified using visual techniques, and stored in vials labeled accordingly. Staining of cestodes and trematodes was performed using Semichon’s Acetocarmine stain. Stained parasites were mounted on slides to view under a microscope for morphological determinations. DNA was also extracted from cestodes, quantified and the 16s mitochondrial ribosomal gene was amplified using PCR, then direct sequenced. Morphological and DNA sequence data revealed the cestodes to be Diploposthe laevis. Further research will determine the identification of numerous trematodes found in the ducks using both morphological and molecular techniques.