Gastro-Intestinal Nematodes and Seasonal Activities in Sheep in the Kars District

Abstract

In this study, the gastro-intestinal organs of the 100 sheep were examined for the gastro-intestinal nematodes and their seasonal activities between September 1992 - August 1994, in Kars district, in Turkey. All the examined animals were infected with the gastrointestinal nematodes. In sheep 29 nematode species were determined. The 440253 nematodes were collected from infected sheep. The total number of parasites for each animals were ranged between 2-31570. The average number of parasites in sheep were determined as 4402.5. The number of nematode species for each animals were ranged betweed 1-13 (mean 6.1). Dominant species in infected sheep were determined as follows: Trichostrongylus colubriformis (66%), T. skrjabini (63%), Marshallagia marshalli (63%), Ostertagia circumcincta (56%) and Trichuris skrjabini (55%). Ostertagia lyrata, Capillaria bovis and Trichuris discolor were found for the first time in sheep in Turkey. Ostartagia, Trichostrongylus, Nematodirus, Trichuris species and B. trigonocephalum and M. marshalli were detected in sheep in all seasons of two years, but the highest infection lewel was noted in Ostertagia spp. in summer, Trichostrongylus spp. and M. marshalli in autumn and winter, Trichuris and Nematodirus spp. in summer and autumn. The infection level of the B. trigonocephalum was not uniform along the seasons.