Epidemiological studies of gastrointestinal helminths affecting cattle in Bogoro Local Government Areas of Bauchi State, North-east Nigeria

Abstract

Cattle are Nigeria's most abundant type of livestock, accounting for 5.2 percent of the country's GDP. Feed shortage, limited knowledge of farmers in livestock production, nutrition, breeding, and parasitic disease are the various factors that decrease cattle production. Most of these parasitic infections are zoonotic, putting people's health at risk. This research aims to provide epidemiological data on the prevalence of cattle gastrointestinal parasites in the study area. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to November 2021 to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites affecting cattle in Bogoro LGA. A standard coprological method was used to analyze 200 faecal samples from cattle for the presence of gastrointestinal helminth eggs. All collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 24. A chi-square and logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. A total of 58 (29.0%) of the cattle sampled tested positive for one or more gastrointestinal helminth infections. Trichostrongylus spp. (10.0%) and Oesophagostumum spp. (3.0%) were most prevalent among the nematodes, while Fasciola spp (4.5%) and Schistosoma spp. (3.5%) were the most prevalent among the trematode. Moniezia spp. (1.0%) was the only cestode detected. The differences in the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections to sex, age, and breed do not vary significantly. There is a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections in the class of helminth parasites (χ2 =31.29, df = 2, p = 0.001). The binary logistic regression analysis shows that the cattle are more likely to be infected with nematodes than cestodes [COR (95% CI): 21.00 (4.98-88.62)]. Considering the high percentage of gastrointestinal helminth infections, there is a need for proper control and preventative methods, such as strategic deworming of cattle and sound management practices, are required to reduce the parasitic burden and increase productivity.