Prevalence of Ectoparasitism on Small Ruminants in Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract

Highlights• 60% of the sampled animals were infested with at least one species of the ectoparasites.• Lice and ticks were the most prevalent ectoparasites on small ruminant, which were 43.64% and 22.98% respectively.• The prevalence of ectoparasites on small ruminant is significantly higher at inland region.Abstract: Kelantan is a chiefly agrarian state with abundant small-holder ruminant farms in the East Coast economic Region of Malaysia. Ectoparasitism affects small ruminant production in Malaysia. It often causes reduction in meat quality and milk production which affect the farmers' income. To date, no report for the prevalence of ectoparasitism on small ruminant in Kelantan compared to other state in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the prevalence and associated risk factor of ruminant ectoparasitism in Kelantan. Ectoparasites were collected by manual picking and skin scrapping from 462 sheep and goats in Kelantan between April and September 2017 (during dry season). 60% of the sampled animals were infested with at least one species of the ectoparasites. In this study, lice and ticks were the most prevalent ectoparasites on small ruminant, which were 43.64% and 22.98%, respectively. The high biotic potential of lice population on host might be one of the factors they become the most prevalent species found on the animals. There was no significant relationship between ectoparasitism prevalence and species of small ruminants (χ 2 = 1.12, p = 0.293). However, there was significant variations in prevalence between the regions where the animals were sampled from (χ 2 = 30.25, p = 0.002) and farm management system for both species. This present study provides baseline epidemiological data on the prevalence of ectoparasitism in small ruminant. This information is useful for the formulation of prevention and control measures in order to enhance ruminant productivity in Kelantan.Abstrak: Kelantan adalah negeri agraria di kawasan ekonomi Pantai Timur Malaysia dengan kebanyakan penternak mempunyai ladang ruminan yang kecil. Ektoparasit menjejaskan pengeluaran ruminan kecil di Malaysia. Ia menyebabkan penghasilan kualiti daging yang rendah dan kurang penghasilan susu yang menjejaskan sumber pendapatan penternak. Buat masa ini, tiada laporan mengenai prevalens ektoparasitisme pada ruminan kecil di Kelantan jika dibandingkan dengan negeri-negeri lain di Malaysia. Kajian ini bertujuan

Geographical Distribution and Phenotypic Characterization of Malin Sheep in Three Selected States of Peninsular Malaysia.

“…We also reported that overall, Kelantan has the highest number of Malin sheep. This finding is in agreement with the report of [34], which described Kelantan as an agrarian state in which almost all herders have small livestock farms that contribute to economic growth within the east coast region of Peninsular Malaysia.…”

Ectoparasites Infestation to Small Ruminants and Practical Attitudes among Farmers toward Acaricides Treatment in Central Region of Java, Indonesia

“…This prevalence is higher than in Nganjuk, East Java [43] and Deli Serdang, North Sumatera [44], according to the only other related investigations reported in Indonesia to date. Given the infestation prevalence exceeding 90%, our result is higher compared to the prevalence of ectoparasite infestations observed in studies conducted in other countries and continents, i.e., in Malaysia [25], Pakistan [45], India [46], Iran [47], Nigeria [48], Ethiopia [49,50], Africa [51], the UK [52], Brazil [53], and Iraq [54].…”

“…B. caprae is known as a chewing lice, while L. africanus is known as a blood-sucking lice [55]. Infestations of B. caprae and L. africanus have been reported at various rates in Indonesia [43], Malaysia [25], India [56], Egypt [57], Libya [58], and Brazil [59]. Lice having the highest prevalence among the ectoparasite types may indicate that they are easily transmitted within populations.…”

“…The ectoparasite samples, i.e., lice, fleas, and ticks were taken directly from the animals by hand [25]. Skin scrapings were performed in animals showing clinical manifestations of infestations.…”

Two new records of chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) from the Oriental honey buzzard [Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)] and house crow (Corvus splendens Viellot, 1817) in Malaysia

“…One group of obligate parasites commonly found on pets is lice, wingless insects that feed on their hosts by ingesting blood, feathers, mucus or skin debris (Durden, 2019). Previous studies on lice from Malaysia were mostly focused on companion animals, livestock and small mammals (Johnson, 1964;Mustaffa-Babjee, 1969;Norhidayu et al, 2012;Syamsul et al, 2020), but less is known on lice parasitising exotic pets. In this paper, we report two new records of chewing lice from avian pets in Peninsular Malaysia: Colpocephalum apivorus Tendeiro, 1958 from an Oriental honey buzzard [Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)], and Myrsidea splendenticola Klockenhoff, 1973 from an albino house crow (Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817).…”