Prevalence, species composition, and associated risk factors of small ruminant gastrointestinal nematodes in South Omo zone, South-western Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to generate data on the prevalence, species composition, and factors associated with small ruminant nematode infection in the South Omo zone, in South-western Ethiopia. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study through fecal nematode parasite examination was conducted. Simple floatation test and coproculture, followed by Baermann technique, were used for nematode egg and third-stage larvae (L3) separation and identification. The McMaster method was used to calculate the egg per gram of feces (EPG). Results: From a total of 242 sheep and goats examined, 72.34% were infested with single or mixed nematode parasites. District, “Kebele”, species, body condition score, and age were significantly ( p < 0.05) associated with nematode infestation. Simple logistic regression analysis indicated that nematode infestation in Bena-Tsemay district (78.33%) was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher by a factor of 0.54 (OR 95% CI: 0.30–0.96) than Hamer district (66.39%). Among the species, caprine (79.43%) was significantly ( p < 0.05) infested than ovine (62.37%) by a factor of 0.45 (OR 95% CI: 0.25–0.81). Moreover, infestation on poor (79.12%) and medium (70.96%) body conditioned animals was higher by a factor of 2.94 (OR 95% CI: 1.41–6.26) and 1.76 (OR 95% CI: 0.88–3.53) than on good body conditioned animals (63.79%). Likewise, infestation in age groups of 1–3 years (78.66%) and >3 years (84.40%) was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher by a factor of 4.83 (OR 95% CI: 2.31–10.46) and 8.23 (OR 95% CI: 3.98–17.75) than younger age groups (41.37%), respectively. A moderate parasitic burden was observed on 52.90% of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN)-infested animals with significantly ( p < 0.05) higher EPG in females than males. Furthermore, mixed infestation of Trichostrongylus axei and Eimeria (6.19%), Haemonchus contortus and Eimeria (5.78%), and Trichostrongylus vitrines and Eimeria (5.78%) were dominantly identified. On the contrary, T. axei (15.70%), Eimeria ( 8.67%), H. contortus ( 7.43%), and Trichostrongylus colubriformis (7.02%) were dominant single infestations. Conclusion: The current study revealed the highest prevalence of GIN in the study area, which needs strategic control, needs to enhance community awareness toward GIN control and prevention, and to implement further investigation into anthelminthic efficacy to solve the problem.

Seasonal Prevalence and Status of Anthelmintic Resistance of Goats’ Gastrointestinal Nematodes, Mirab Abaya, Southern Ethiopia

“…This finding was very closer to the reports from various parts of Ethiopia [25]. A higher prevalence than the current study was reported from various parts of the country [16,[26][27][28][29] that could be due to differences in climatic and environmental factors and management factors [30]. The univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that flock size, age and sex of goats, and season were significantly (p < 0 05) influencing the infection of goats by gastrointestinal nematodes.…”

“…Faecal egg count reduction for anthelmintic resistance test in goats.These nematode genera are commonly circulating in Gamo and Gofa zones and the surrounding areas[16,28,44,45] and other parts of the country[4,28,[46][47][48][49][50][51]. According to Bishop and Morris[52], these parasites, mainly Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., and Teladorsagia spp., are the most common nematodes known to affect sheep and goats in sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Helminth Control Practices in Sheep and Cattle in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Adea District, Central Ethiopia

“…Moreover, along with helminth eggs, it’s consistent with finding of different study areas across Ethiopia. 6 , 19 , 20 , 43 However, despite the level of incidence of the helminth infection, the strongyle-type nematode genera are more dominant parasites as described by Tibebu et al, Welay et al, Ayana et al, Tesfaye and Tongshoob et al 23 , 24 , 42 , 44 , 45 The study showed that 68.55 and 55.21% of cattle and sheep, respectively, are infested with helminthes, which is consistent with finding of Zeryehun 46 conducted to assess helminthosis of sheep and goats in and around Haramaya, Southeastern Ethiopia.…”

The Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Livestock and their Health Hazards: A Review

“…Gastrointestinal nematodes mostly infest small ruminants. Their epidemiological patterns rely on the factors related to the parasite-host (such as inadequate host nutrition, poor hygiene, and sanitation; Tesfaye et al, 2021). Among these GIT parasites, the most common parasites infesting the livestock are Hemonchus contortus, Ascaris, Strongyloids, Trichostrongyliods, Ostertagia, Trichuris, Dictyocaulus, Trichnellia, Enterobius, Cooperia, Gunagylonema, Chabertia, Oesphagostomum (Mekonen, 2021).…”