Sarcocystosis, or ‘rice breast’ disease of ducks, is caused by the parasite Sarcocystis spp and seems to be on the rise in the UK. The parasite has a relatively complex life cycle using birds as an intermediate host and carnivores as the end host. Within birds in later stages of infection the parasite creates cysts throughout the muscles, in particular the breast and leg, which look like grains of rice.
Mallard, wigeon and teal are the three most commonly reported species to be infected. However, this might just be because they are the most commonly shot.
You can find more information, including details on how to submit sightings on the project website.
Sarcocystis in birds is not thought to pose a risk to human health as cooking kills all stages of the parasite. However, it is not recommended to eat infected birds, nor to feed them to dogs.
The UK Wildfowl Sarcocystis Survey assists in monitoring the prevalence of the disease over time in the UK and better understand which bird species are affected and any impacts it may be having.
Wildfowlers are well placed to look out for this disease and report likely cases as the pathology is quite striking. If you are a wildfowler and find ducks or geese with what looks like rice breast disease please report cases using the survey form http://www.sarcocystissurvey.org.uk/survey-form/.
Please use one form per case. If you are willing to save some affected tissues for further analysis that would be especially useful, please see the details on the form.
The 2023 Sarcocystis monitoring report is now available to read, detailing findings from data submitted during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 wildfowling seasons. Read the report in full here.
For further information on rice breast disease, contact monitoring@basc.org.uk.
The UK Wildfowl Sarcocystis Survey is run by BASC.
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