Prevalence of Parasitic Species in Ruminants Found in the Vicinity of Lahore, Pakistan

In Pakistan, the livestock industry is one of the most important subsectors of the agricultural industry as it offers a handsome share in gross domestic national growth. However, gastrointestinal parasitic infections are a serious concern for cattle managing organizations and farmers. These effects of gastrointestinal parasites may vary with the age, sex of cattle, nutritional practices, and the sever of contagion. So, there is a need to update knowledge on spatio-temporal differences and regulate practices to improve the health conditions of animals. The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in bovine, caprine and ovine genera reared in and around Lahore. A total number of 160 fecal samples were collected from all different genera. To calculate the prevalence of parasites in different genera, all the samples were subjected to parasitological examination and analyzed through direct smear method. In general, an overall prevalence of 40% was recorded showing 64 samples were positive. The observed parasitic species were Balantidium coli (a parasitic protozoan), Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke), Coccidia (a microscopic protozoan), Shistosoma bovis (blood fluke), Ostertagia ostertagi (parasitic nematode), Trichuris globulosa (intestinal nematode), Haemonchus contortus (pathogenic nematode), Chabertia ovina (parasitic roundworms) and Strogyloides papillosus (parasitic nematode). Overall out of 160 total samples 64 samples were positive and 40% prevalence was recorded in all ruminants. Among bovines, (cows and buffaloes), the multi-parasites prevalence was recorded as 47.5 and 37.5%, respectively. However, in ovine (sheep) and caprine (goats), the prevalence was 42.5 and 32.5% respectively. The parasitic prevalence was observed alike in adults and young. The data showed a higher parasitic prevalence in adult bovine and ovine species as compared to caprine species. The study showed a significant difference (P value< 0.05) among adult and young groups of Balantidium coli in buffaloes, Fasicola hepatica in cows and Ostertagia ostertagi in goats. It was concluded that low occurrence of parasites in ovine and caprine species as compared to bovine species was due to proper care and deworming practices being used for these animals. Moreover, there is further need to consider different managerial control practices and awareness programs to control gastrointestinal parasitic infections. Copyright(c) The Authors