Prevalence of gastro-intestinal parasites of donkeys in Dugda Bora District, Ethiopia

摘要

Ayearroundstudy(fromOctober-2004toSeptember-2005)wasconductedinDugdaBoradistrict(Ethiopia)toidentifythegastrointestinalparasitesofdonkeys,determinetheirprevalenceratesandfindassociationsbetweenmeasurableparametersandparasitesburden.Atotalof339faecalsampleswerecollectedrandomlyforqualitativeandquantitativefaecalanalysis.TheparasitesencounteredwereStrongyle(100%),Parascarisequorum(50%),AnoplocephalaSpp.(7.4%),Gastrodiscusaegypticus(6%),Oxurisequi(3%)andFasciola(1.5%).GrossfaecalexaminationsrevealedGasterophilusintestinalisandGasterophilusnasalis(20.9%).81.7%ofdonkeyssampledwereseverelyinfected,8.3%heavily,3.8%moderatelyand6.2%mildlyinfected.Mixedinfectionsweredetectedin54.8%ofthedonkeys.Culturalidentificationoflarvae(n=28)demonstratedStrongylusvulgaris(100%),Cyathostomes(100%),Strongylusedentatus(66.6%),Trichostrongylusaxei(40%),Strongloideswesteri(33.3%),Triodontophorus(50%)andDictyocaulusarnfieldi(20%).RainyseasonencouragedStrongyleinfectionandtherewasnosignificantageassociatedimmunity(p0.05)toStrongyleandParascarisequoruminfections.Thebodyconditionscoreandpackedcellvolumewerenegativelycorrelated(r=-0.67amp;-0.6,respectively)withthetotalepgcount.nbsp;Thepresumptiveclinicalexaminationofdonkeys(n=1674)showedthatParasitosis(45%),Parasitosisandwounds(16.8%),wounds(16.4%),lameness(6%),respiratorycomplications(5.4%),septicemia(4.2%),sarciod(3.1%)andeyeproblems(2%)werethehealthproblemsinthearea.Parasitism,woundsandotherhealthproblemswereidentifiedaffectingthehealthandwelfareofdonkeysandGovernmentorotherdevelopmentagenciesshouldincludedonkeysintheirprioritylistsofresearchanddevelopsustainableintegrateddiseasespreventionandcontrolprogramsthatarepracticalindevelopingcommunities.