scholarly journals Epidemiological studies of parasitic gastrointestinal nematodes, cestodes and coccidia infections in cattle in the highveld and lowveld communal grazing areas of Zimbabwe

Author(s):  
D.M. Pfukenyi ◽  
A.L. Willingham ◽  
S. Mukaratirwa ◽  
J. Monrad

Between January 1999 and December 2000 faecal samples from 16 264 cattle at 12 dipping sites in the highveld and nine in the lowveld communal grazing areas of Zimbabwe were examined for gastrointestinal (GI) nematode and cestodes eggs, and coccidia oocysts. Strongyle larvae were identified following culture of pooled faecal samples collected at monthly intervals. The effects of region, age, sex and season on the prevalence of GI nematodes, cestodes and coccidia were determined. Faecal egg and oocyst counts showed an overall prevalence of GI nematodes of 43 %, coccidia 19.8 % and cestodes 4.8 %. A significantly higher prevalence of infection with GI nematodes, cestodes and coccidia was recorded in calves (P < 0.01) than in adults. Pregnant and lactating cows had significantly higher prevalences than bulls, oxen and non-lactating (dry cows) (P < 0.01). The general trend of eggs per gram (epg) of faeces and oocysts per gram (opg) of faeces was associated with the rainfall pattern in the two regions, with high epg and opg being recorded during the wet months. The most prevalent genera of GI nematodes were Cooperia, Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus in that order. Strongyloides papillosus was found exclusively in calves. Haemonchus was significantly more prevalent during the wet season than the dry season (P < 0.01). In contrast, Trichostrongylus was present in significantly (P < 0.01) higher numbers during the dry months than the wet months, while Cooperia and Oesophagostomum revealed no significant differences between the wet and dry season. These findings are discussed with reference to their relevance for strategic control of GI parasites in cattle in communal grazing areas of Zimbabwe.

2004 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
C.J. Ng'ang'a ◽  
N. Maingi ◽  
W.K. Munyua ◽  
P.W.N. Kanyari

A survey on the prevalence and intensity of infection with gastrointestinal helminths of Dorper sheep in relation to age and weather factors was carried out on a ranch in Kajiado district, a semi-arid area of Kenya for a period of 13 months (May 1999 to May 2000). Faecal samples from lambs (3 months to 1 year), yearlings (1-2 years) and adult breeding ewes (2-4 years) were examined for helminth egg output and helminth genus composition at 3-week intervals. The results indicated that the prevalence of strongyle and tapeworms infections were highest for lambs, followed by the adult breeding ewes and then for the yearlings. In all age groups the proportions of infected animals were higher during the wet season than in the dry season for both nematodes and tapeworms. The mean strongyle egg counts were higher during the dry season for lambs, but were higher during the wet season for the other age groups. Mixed strongyle infections were detected, with Trichostrongylus (55 %), Haemonchus (28 %), Cooperia (10.5 %) and Oesophagostomum (6.5 %) being the most frequently encountered genera throughout the study period. The trends in strongyle faecal egg counts indicated the occurrence of hypobiosis, with resumption of development towards the end of the dry season and at the onset of the short rains in October and November. Self-cure was also observed in September and November in all age groups, although less frequently in lactating ewes. The prevalence and intensities of infection with gastrointestinal helminths in this area appeared to be influenced by the age of the host and weather factors.


1970 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Rahman ◽  
MMU Bhuiyan ◽  
MM Kamal ◽  
M Shamsuddin

Identification of risk factors is important for the design of control programmes for mastitis in cows. Information about farms and management was collected at a farm visit. California Mastitis Test (CMT) was performed to assess sub-clinical mastitis, and cows, udder and milk were examined for clinical mastitis. A total of 347 lactating cows from 83 farms in the dry season (November - February) and 388 lactating cows from 89 farms in the wet season (June - October) were studied. The overall prevalence of mastitis was 19.9% and 44.8% in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The prevalence of mild mastitis was 17.3% and 40.7%, whereas that of moderate mastitis was 2.6% and 4.1% in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The prevalence of mastitis was higher (P<0.01) in wet than in dry season. On average, 18.7% quarters had mastitis during the wet season and 6.9% in the dry season. In the dry and wet seasons, respectively, 63.9% and 11.2% had completely dry floors, and the prevalence of mastitis was 22.6% and 30.0%. On the other hand, 88.8% and 36.1% of 83 farms had partly or completely wet and soiled floor and the prevalence of mastitis was 40.0% and 59.5% in the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Udder cleanliness, milk yield and peri-parturient diseases significantly (P<0.01) increased the risk of mastitis. The prevalence of mastitis is regarded as quite high. Dry and clean floor to keep cow's udder and teat clean would help control mastitis in the dairy farms of Bangladesh. DOI: 10.3329/bvet.v26i2.4951 Bangl. vet. 2009. Vol. 26, No. 2, 54-60


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 261-278
Author(s):  
Juan Felipe de Jesús Torres-Acosta

SummaryThe objective was to highlight the role of supplementary feeding on resilience and resistance of browsing small ruminants against natural gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections. GIN infections have a negative impact on productivity of browsing Criollo kids especially during the wet season of Yucátan. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the threat of GIN infectivity in the native vegetation available for browsing goats. Control of GIN in browsing ruminants is threatened by the emergence of anthelmintic resistant nematodes strains in the local flocks. Browsing trials with kids and lambs have shown that supplementary feeding (100–108g/day) improved resilience and resistance of Criollo kids against GIN. Supplements used successfully include sorghum:soybean meal (74:26 respectively), maize:soybean meal (74:26) and maize only (108g/day). The later result showed that animals might benefit from supplementation with rumen fermentable energy that could improve utilization of available browsing legumes by the goats. Wet season trials showed that, in spite of supplementation, infected animals have lower productivity compared to non-infected animals. However, the combined use of supplementation and copper oxide wire particles or tactic anthelmintic treatment, can improve growth rate of infected kids to maximum production levels. Short-term supplementation strategies have shown to be less effective than long-term strategies in achieving better resilience against GIN in kids. Lambs are more resistant but less resilient against GIN infections than kids. Improved resistance of lambs seemed to require more nutrients than in goats. In conclusion, supplementary feeding can play an important role in improving both resilience and resistance of growing small ruminants in the tropics but it can be further improved through the complementary use of other strategies leading to a more sustainable integrated parasite control strategy.


2006 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Pfukenyi ◽  
S. Mukaratirwa ◽  
A.L. Willingham ◽  
J. Monrad

During the period between January 1999 and December 2000, the distribution and seasonal patterns of Schistosoma mattheei infections in cattle in the highveld and lowveld communal grazing areas of Zimbabwe were determined through monthly coprological examination. Faecal samples of cattle were collected from 12 and nine dipping sites in the highveld and lowveld communal grazing areas, respectively. Patterns of distribution and seasonal fluctuations of the intermediate host-snail populations and the climatic factors influencing the distribution were also determined at monthly intervals from November 1998 to October 2000, a period of 24 months, in six dams and six streams in the highveld and nine dams in the lowveld communal grazing areas. Monthly, each site was sampled for relative snail density, the vegetation cover and type, and physical and chemical properties of the water. Mean monthly rainfall and temperature were recorded. Snails collected at the same time were individually examined for shedding of cercariae of S. mattheei and Schistosoma haematobium. A total of 16 264 (5 418 calves, 5 461 weaners and 5 385 adults) faecal samples were collected during the entire period of study and 734 (4.5 %) were positive for S. mattheei eggs. Significantly higher prevalences were found in the highveld compared to the lowveld (P < 0.001), calves compared to adult cattle (P < 0.01) and the wet season compared to the dry season (P < 0.01). Faecal egg output peaked from October/ November to March / April for both years of the study. Bulinus globosus, the snail intermediate host of S. mattheei was recorded from the study sites with the highveld having a significantly higher abundance of the snails than the lowveld (P < 0.01). Monthly densities of B. globosus did not show a clearcut pattern although there were peaks between March / May and September / November. The mean num ber of snails collected was positively correlated with the water plants Nymphaea caerulea and Typha species. Overall, 2.5 % of B. globosus were shedding Schistosoma cercariae. In the highveld, 2.8 % of B. globosus were infected with schistosome cercariae and 1.5 % in the lowveld, with the figures at individual sites ranging from 0-18.8 % in the highveld and from 0-4.5 % in the lowveld. The cercariae recorded here were a mixture of S. mattheei and S. haematobium since they share the same intermediate host. The transmission of Schistosoma cercariae exhibited a marked seasonal pattern, being more intensive during the hot, dry season (September / November).


1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (85) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Holroyd ◽  
PJ Allan ◽  
PK O'Rourke

A study was made over a four year period ( 1970-1 973) on the reproductive performance of cows grazing either native pasture stocked at 1 breeder 4.9 ha-1 or native pasture oversown with Townsville stylo (Stylosanthes humilis) and fertilized with superphosphate, stocked at 1 breeder 2.4 ha-1. Animals were supplemented on each pasture type with combinations of molasses, urea and phosphorus at various times of the year. Mating from September 1 to January 31 resulted in animals lactating during the dry season. At double the stocking rate, lactating cows on fertilized pastures had similar conception rates to those on native pasture. During a prolonged dry season, lactating cows on fertilized pasture had twice the conception rate and fewer required survival feeding. Urea compared with non-urea based supplements produced significant increases in conception rates of cows grazing native pasture especially during a dry year. Calves were born earlier, had shorter intercalving intervals and fewer cows had to be fed a survival ration when urea was available. On fertilized pasture, urea based supplements caused only a marginal increase in conception rate except in a dry year, when there was a significant increase. Over the four years, there was a diminishing response in the conception rate of lactating cows grazing native pasture and supplemented with phosphorus during the wet season compared with the control. On fertilized pasture, there was a variable but non-significant response. The addition of phosphorus either as a wet or dry season supplement to urea caused variable responses on each pasture type, but none differed significantly from that of urea.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-19
Author(s):  
Z.A. Ibrahim ◽  
T. Aken’Ova ◽  
S.A. Luka

Two clariids, Heterobranchus bidorsalis (65) and Heterobranchus longifilis (15), and two claroteids, Auchenoglanis occidentalis (31), and  Chrysichthys auratus (19) from River Galma were examined for gastrointestinal nematodes from May 2016 to February 2017. Overall, five species of nematodes were recovered from the clariids and claroteids. The nematodes were distributed as follows: in Heterobranchus bidorsalis, Procamallanus laevionchus (12.31%), Paracamallanus cyathopharynx (9.23%) and Rhabdochona sp. (1.54%); in Heterobranchus longifilis;  Paracamallanus cyathopharynx (6.67%); in Auchenoglanis occidentalis: Procamallanus laevionchus (25.81%); in Chrysichthys auratus: Procamallanus laevionchus (5.26%), Contracaecum sp. (5.26%) and Spirocamallanus spiralis (15.79%). Nematode prevalence in C. auratus was higher in the wet than in the dry season; however, prevalence of infection in A. occidentalis, H. longifilis and H. bidorsalis was higher in the dry than in the wet season. Prevalence of nematode infection was also higher in male than in female H. longifilis while it was higher in female A. occidentalis, C. auratus and H. bidorsalis than males of the same species. Nematode prevalence was higher in larger (24.0-31.9cm) Heterobranchus bidorsalis and Auchenoglanis occidentalis. Prevalence of infection was higher in smaller (8.0- 15.9cm) Chrysichthys auratus. It is recommended that a larger sample size of especially Heterobranchus longifilis and Chrysichthys auratus, of which only 15 and 19 specimens respectively, were examined during the period of this study, be examined, to have a clearer picture of their infection by nematodes in River Galma. Keywords: Nematode; catfish; clariid; claroteid; infection; prevalence.


Author(s):  
F.F. Kumba ◽  
H. Katjivena ◽  
G. Kauta ◽  
E. Lutaaya

As a more detailed continuation of a previous study, faecal samples for worm egg counts were collected per rectum from ten marked adult animals in selected flocks of goats, in each of six villages evenly spread out in the communal farming district of Okakarara in eastern Namibia. The study was conducted on a monthly basis from August 1999 to July 2000. Average faecal worm egg counts (FECs) were highest during the warm-wet season, much lower during the cold-dry months and moderate during the hot-dry season. Least square means of FECs were 2 140, 430 and 653 per gram of faeces for the three seasons, respectively. Seasonal variation in egg counts was significant (P < 0.0001). Gastrointestinal strongyles, and to a lesser extent Strongyloides species, were the predominant parasite groups identified in goats. Kidding rates peaked in the cold-dry season and mortality rates in the hot-dry season. Results of this study suggest that gastrointestinal parasitism may be a problem that accentuates the effect of poor nutrition on small ruminants during the season of food shortages in the east of Namibia and that the use of FECs per se to assess the severity of gastrointestinal parasitic infection in goats followed by chemoprophylactic strategic and / or tactical treatment, may not be the best approach to addressing the worm problem under resource-poor conditions. The use of the FAMACHA(c) system that identifies severely affected animals for treatment is technically a better option for communal farmers.


1991 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
TH McCosker ◽  
PK O'Rourke ◽  
AR Eggington

The effects of four wet season supplementation regimes on the pregnancy rates, mortality and liveweight of 870 Brahman x Shorthorn cross cattle (cows, bulls, heifers and steers) were investigated on Mt Bundey Station from 1980 to 1984. Treatments imposed were (i) Control (no wet season supplement), (ii) Mineral (supplementation with 13 minerals during the wet season), (iii) +Protein (the same minerals plus non-protein nitrogen and protein over the wet season), and (iv) Strategic (consecutive use of salt, mineral and non-protein nitrogen/protein supplements over the early wet, mid wet and late wet season periods respectively). Each treatment was replicated twice and all received a dry season supplement of non-protein nitrogen plus minerals while stocked at one breeder to 14 ha on native pasture. The pregnancy rate of lactating cows in the +Protein regime in 1982 was 77% compared with 60% for the other three regimes (P<0.05). The pregnancy rates in 1983 for both the +Protein (57%) and Strategic (54%) regimes were higher (P<0.05) than the Control (40%) and Mineral (31%) regimes. Mortality rates of breeders and heifers ranged from 2 to 5% in the Mineral, +Protein and Strategic regimes, compared with 8% (1982) and 12% (1983) (P<0.05) in the Control groups. Post pregnancy diagnosis losses were 8% in the +Protein regime compared with 16% in the other regimes (P<0.05). Breeders were 25 to 30 kg heavier in the +Protein than in Control regimes (P<0.05). Liveweight gain of steers in the +Protein regime was 11 to 31% higher than the other three regimes in two of the three steer drafts. Calf weight per breeder in the +Protein treatment was 55% higher in 1983 and 44% higher in 1984 than the other three regimes. It is concluded that wet season supplementation with non-protein nitrogen/protein and minerals has the potential to substantially increase herd productivity in the monsoonal tallgrass region. The response to the wet season +Protein regime, and the absence of a similar response to the Mineral regime, despite a phosphorus, sodium and sulphur deficiency in the pasture, was attributed to an overriding nitrogen requirement. Other factors affecting herd productivity were, paddock variability which was attributed to variation in the proportion of upland compared with floodplain/riparian land units in each paddock and seasonal differences related to the length of the preceding dry season.


1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
AR Eggington ◽  
TH McCosker ◽  
CA Graham

Four supplementation treatments to investigate wet seasons responses were imposed on eight Brahman/Shorthom cross herds totalling 870 animals of all classes (cows and calves, bulls, heifers and steers). They grazed 12,300 ha of native pasture in the Darwin district of the Northern Territory. The treatments were: (i) control (no wet season supplement), (ii) Mineral (Ultraphos - supplementation with 13 minerals during the wet season), (iii) +Protein (Ultrapro-50 - the same 13 minerals plus non-protein nitrogen (WN) and true protein over the wet season), and (iv) Strategic (strategic use of salt, mineral and hTN supplements over the early wet, mid wet and late wet seasons respectively). All treatments received an hTN plus mineral supplement (Uramol) during the dry season. Supplement intakes by the herds were measured monthly for three years. Intake of Salt, Ultraphos and Ultrapro-50 supplements averaged 43, 124 and 149 g/animal/day respectively during the three wet seasons. Losses of the molasses-based block formulations due to rain were small (7%) during the wet season. However, up to one third of each pure salt block was eroded. Intake of Uramol during the three dry seasons averaged 182 g/animal/day across all herds. No urea toxicity problems were noticed over the three years of the supplement programme, despite high intakes during the dry season. All animals consumed some supplement. However, levels of supplement intake: (i) increased with the seasonal decrease in native pasture quality, (ii) decreased with an increase in proportion of paddock burnt, (iii) varied between animal classes, with lactating cows consuming 64% more supplement than non-lactating cows in two of the three years, and (iv) varied between individuals within classes. Individual intake varied widely (from 10 to 835 glanirnallday for lactating cows) with no significant correlation between individual intake and the pregnancy rate or average daily liveweight gain.


Author(s):  
A.F. Vatta ◽  
R.C. Krecek ◽  
R.A. Pearson ◽  
M.F. Smith ◽  
M.O. Stenson ◽  
...  

The potential economic benefits of combining tactical anthelmintic treatment for gastrointestinal nematodes and nutritional supplementation with urea-molasses blocks were examined in Boer goats raised under extensive grazing conditions in the summer rainfall area of South Africa. Eight groups of nine goats were monitored over a 12-month period from 1 October 2002 to 9 October 2003. Ad libitum nutritional supplementation with urea-molasses blocks was provided when the goats were housed at night, during the summer (wet season -December 2002 to February 2003), and / or the winter (dry season -June 2003 to August 2003). All the goats were treated symptomatically for Haemonchus contortus infection when deemed necessary by clinical examination of the conjunctiva for anaemia using the FAMACHA© system. Half the groups were tactically treated for gastrointestinal nematodes in mid-summer (28 January 2003). Under the symptomatic treatment, climatic and extensive grazing conditions encountered during the trial, feed supplementation in the winter dry season had the greatest economic benefit and is therefore recommended. Tactical anthelmintic treatment afforded no additional advantage, but the nematode challenge was lo


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