Журнал бактериологии и паразитологии

Абстрактный

Prevalence of lungworm in sheep and associated risk factors in Merhabete County, North Shoa, Ethiopia

Niguagus Leben, Wassi Molla, Tesfaye Bejiga, Zelalem Itaev and Tai Solomon

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2011 to determine the prevalence of lungworm in sheep and assess its associated potential risk factors in Merhabete County, North Shoa Administrative Zone, Amhara National Regional State. A total of 384 faecal samples were collected from randomly selected sheep for first stage larval examination using the modified Biermann method. Of these, 52.34% were positive for lungworm infection. The lungworm parasites detected included D. filarial, M. capillaries and mixed infection with a prevalence of 35.42%, 7.55% and 9.37% respectively. Among the potential risk factors assessed in the present study, clinical signs, body condition and agro-climate were found to be significantly associated and play an important role in the occurrence of lungworm infection. The prevalence was higher in animals showing clinical signs (67.77%), having poor body condition (63.89%) and originating from the central part of the country (57.95) than others. However, there was no statistically significant (p>0.05) association between the occurrence of sheep lungworm and sex and age group factors. In conclusion, this study showed that lungworms are important internal parasites in the study area that impair sheep performance, implying the need for interventions for control.