Dourine is a venereal transmitted trypanosomosis causing a major health problem threatening equines worldwide. The origin and identification of Trypanosoma equiperdum within the subgenus Trypanozoon is still a subject of debate. Unlike other trypanosomal infections, dourine is transmitted almost exclusively by coitus. Diagnosis of dourine has continued to be a challenge, due to limited knowledge about the parasite and host-parasite interaction following infection. The pathological lesions caused by the diseases are poorly described and are observed mainly in the reproductive organs, in the nervous system, and on the skin. Dourine has been neglected by research and current knowledge on the disease, and the parasite is very deficient despite its considerably high burden. This paper looks in to the challenges in identification of T. equiperdum and diagnosis techniques with the aim to update our current knowledge of the disease.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine prevalence and associated risk factors of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) parasites of pigs slaughtered at Addis Ababa Abattoirs Enterprise (AAAE) from October, 2009 to May, 2010 using systematic random sampling technique. A total of 390 pigs were sampled to assess and identify different genera of GIT parasites of pig. For this study, faecal samples were collected from a total of 390 pigs' slaughtered in the abattoir while post mortem adult parasite recovery was done by incision of liver, removing intestinal content, opening of the cecum and colon. The collected faecal samples were examined by zinc sulphate floatation and sedimentation techniques for isolation of parasitic eggs and/or oocysts. Out of 390 samples tested in the present study, an overall prevalence of 61.8% GIT parasite was identified. Among the examined samples, 16.2% (63/390), 12.6% (49/390), 6.9% (27/390), 3.9% (15/390), 11.8% (46/390), 10.5% (41/390) were identified as Strongyloides spp., Ascaris suum (A. suum), Trichuris suis (T. suis), Oesophagostomum spp., Coccidia spp. and Fasciola hepatica (F. hepatica) ova/oocyst, respectively. The study had also revealed that about 11.28% and 37.69% pigs had harbored mixed and single infection, respectively. A Chi-square computed statistical analysis indicated that origin (χ 2 =3.5408; P>0.05), age (χ 2 =1.8628; P>0.05) and sex (χ 2 =0.0636; P>0.05) were insignificantly associated with the infection of GIT parasites in the study area. However, the prevalence of individual GIT parasite infections analysis revealed that both sex and age were significantly associated with the prevalence of Coccidia spp. (p<0.05) while origin was significantly associated with the prevalence of the nematode A. suum (p<0.05). An overall prevalence of 28.2% GIT parasites were identified upon postmortem adult parasite inspection. Our study revealed that pig GIT parasites were the major biological constraints contributing to the low productivity of pig and hampered the economic benefit obtained from the sector. Therefore, further detailed investigations are needed to formulate appropriate and cost-effective strategies for the control of gastrointestinal parasites in pig farms in Ethiopia.