59. Estimation of the prevalence of nematodes infestation in sheep and goats in District Dera Ismail Khan along with the investigation of worm burden
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Abstract
All the animals including sheep, goats, and domestic as well as wild animals are severely infested with nematode parasites. Due to the presence of nematodes in their digestive tracts, sheep and goats commonly experience hemonchosis, trichostrongyliasis, ascariasis, and other diseases. Consequently, the current study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode infestations in sheep and goats in District Dera Ismail Khan in 2021–2022 and to determine the worm burden in the affected animals. For this purpose, 384 fecal samples were taken directly from the rectum of the animals using sterile gloves and placed in plastic bottles with pre-printed labels. Both qualitative and quantitative methods (floatation and direct microscopy) were used to process the collected fecal samples and the EPG was determined using the Mc Master technique. Out of 384 samples, 118 animals—30.08% (74/246) in goats and 31.88% (44/138) in sheep were found to have gastrointestinal nematodes. While, the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes in male sheep was significantly (P<0.05) higher (38%) than in females (28%), the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes in female goats was significantly (P<0.05) higher than in males, at 30.99 and 28.00%, respectively. Additionally, there were significant differences (P<0.05) between the study animals' breeds and age groups. Consequently, it was determined that gastrointestinal nematode infestation is endemic in sheep and goats in the study area and poses a
Keywords: Ascaris; Gastrointestinal parasites; Hemonchus; Incidence; Parasitism; Trichostrongylus