Prevalence and associated risk factors of gastrointestinal helminths and coccidian infections in domestic goats, Capra hircus, in Minya, Egypt

Abstract

Background Helminth and coccidian infections are among potential parasitic infections in the livestock production. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal helminths as well as Eimeia species in domestic goats. Results The overall prevalence of parasitic infections was 50.24% (206/410). Twenty two species of helminth eggs/Eimeria spp. oocysts were revealed. The prevalence of helminths was 21.95% (90/410) and that of Eimeria spp. was 39.27% (161/410). Mixed infection was reported in 10.98% (45/410). The highest prevalence was found in young animals (75.0%; 60/80) followed by yearlings (58.46%; 76/130) and the lowest one was in adults (35.0%; 70/200). The infection rate was higher in females (59.02%; 180/305) than males (24.76%; 26/105). The prevalence was mostly highest in summer (63.85%; 83/130) followed by winter (57.78%; 52/90), autumn (40.0%; 28/70) and the lowest one was in spring (35.83%; 43/120). Age, sex and seasonal variations revealed significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences among examined goats. The infection with both nematodes and Eimeria spp. were detected in 7.32% (30/410). The co-infection with Eimeria spp. and tapeworms were found in 2.93% (12/410). Both trematodes and Eimeria spp. were seen in 0.73% (3/410) of examined specimens. Nine Eimeria species were recorded; Eimeria ninakohlyakim-ovae, E. hirci, E. caprinova, E. caprina, E. christenseni, E. jolchijevi, E. arloingi, E. apsheronica and E. alijevi. The most predominant Eimeria species was E. arloingi (23.17%; 95/410) and the least abundant one was E. apsheronica (0.73%; 3/410). The revealed trematodes were Fasciola spp. (0.49%) and Paramphistomum spp. (0.24%). Among cestodes, tapeworms belonged to Anoplocephalids included Moniezia spp. (7.31%) and Avitellina sp. (0.49%) were detected. Meanwhile, coproculture revealed that the prevalence of nematodes infection was 13.41% (55/410) including nine species; Chabertia ovina, Ostertagia ostertagi, Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus axei, T. colubriformis, Bunostomum sp., Cooperia oncophora, Cooperia curticei and Strongyloides spp. Conclusion In the present study, the prevalence of helminths was 21.95% and that of Eimeria spp. was 39.27%, which is considered a high infection rate. Accordingly Strict hygienic measures as well as regular deworming are highly recommended to avoid wide spread of both helminth and coccidial infections.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Coccidiosis in Goats in Slaughter Center, Manokwari Regency, West Papua Province, Indonesia: Epidemiological Aspects

“…Farmers were asked to complete an investigative questionnaire for the analysis of the risk factors based on data regarding livestock, practices management, and sanitary conditions. The shape, size, color, and presence or absence of the micropyle and its cap have all been utilized to define the morphological traits of oocysts and sporocysts to describe the species of coccidian oocysts (Hassanen et al 2020;Mohamed et al 2023).…”

“…It is frequently observed in young animals and livestock, including goats and sheep (Daniel et al 2013;Mohamaden et al 2018), and results in loss of livestock productivity (Mpofu et al 2022). The prevalence of coccidiosis in goats varies depending on the region, management practices (Rehman et al 2011;Daniel et al 2013;Hiko and Rorisa 2016;de Macedo et al 2020), and age of the animals (de Macedo et al 2020;Mpofu et al 2020a;Carneiro et al 2022;Mohamed et al 2023). Due to suitable environmental factors for gastrointestinal parasite spread (Zeryehun 2012), such as the host's poor nutritional state (de Macedo et al 2020) and inadequate hygiene in rural areas (Badran et al 2012), this issue is, however, significantly more critical in tropical countries.…”

Efficiency of Experimental Formulation Containing Duddingtonia flagrans and Pochonia chlamydosporia against Moniezia expansa Eggs

“…Monieziosis is a disease caused by tapeworms from the genus Moniezia sp. The species Moniezia expansa is the most important for small ruminants within the genus, as it parasitizes the small intestine of these animals [ 1 , 2 ]. Adult animals are usually asymptomatic, but the young end up being the most affected, compromising growth and productivity [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Microscopic Detection of Coccidiosis in Small Ruminants in Wasit Province, Iraq

“…Also, it causes a loss in performance and even mortality, especially when it is complicated by bacterial infections (Dash et al, 2020;Mohamed et al, 2022). Recently, 16 and 15 coccidian species were identified in goats and sheep, respectively, and varied largely according to the time of formation and growth of oocytes, site of infection as well as the oocyte maturation (de Macedo et al, 2019;Mohamed et al, 2023). For diagnosis, various traditional methods were applied to determine the parasite or its species based on intensive macroscopic observations of fecal samples, clinical signs of infected animals, and morphological aspects of eggs detected under the microscope.…”