Abstract
A longitudinal study was conducted in low-input low-output farming systems to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in different age groups, sex and associated risk factors in goats. A total of 580 indigenous goats were randomly selected in areas representing the five agro-ecological regions of Zimbabwe in the dry and wet seasons. Blood and faecal samples were collected from each animal and egg/oocyst per gram of faeces (epg/opg), larval culture, and packed cell volumes (PCV) were determined. Factors affecting parasitic infections were evaluated. Highest prevalence was determined for Eimeria oocysts (43%), strongyles (31%) and lower levels in trematodes and cestodes. Parasites identified were Haemonchus, Strongyloides and Oesophagostomum. Area, season, sex and age significantly influenced patterns of gastrointestinal infections (P<0.05). Cannonical correlations indicated that parasite species composition varied by area and impacts of risk factors also differed. Risk of infection was very high for goats sampled in Natural regions (NR) I, II, III (OR=6.6–8.2; P<0.05) as compared to those in NR IV and V. Highest helminths and Eimeria infections were observed in the wet vs. dry season (P<0.05). Young animals were more susceptible to parasitic infections (P<0.05). Prevalence was higher in males than females, with odds of infection for males being almost three times to that for females (P<0.0001). Knowledge concerning gastrointestinal helminth biology and epidemiological infection patterns caused by these parasites is essential in the development of appropriate control strategies and this has a potential to reduce production losses.
Highlights
Goats make important contributions to human livelihoods in developing economies, since they are extremely hardy animals that can survive and reproduce under extremely high temperatures and low humidity with minimum available feed
The specific objectives of the study were to: i) characterise Gastrointestinal nematode infections (GIN) present in diverse farming systems,; ii) determine level of prevalence of the parasites considered; and iii) evaluate risk factors on parasite infections in goats reared in low-input, low-output systems in Zimbabwe
57.9% of the farmer did not control for gastrointestinal parasitic infections
Summary
Goats make important contributions to human livelihoods in developing economies, since they are extremely hardy animals that can survive and reproduce under extremely high temperatures and low humidity with minimum available feed. Of the approximately 1 billion world goat population, 56 and 30% are located in Asia and Africa respectively (FAO, 2015). The majority of the goats in Zimbabwe are owned by smallholder farmers in mixed croplivestock systems (Rooyen and Tui, 2009). In this farming system, goats are increasingly used to augment cash income and enhance food security, serve as an important component in the household’s livelihood strategies. Socio-economic importance is attached to goat ownership such that, in some instances they may be the only realisable wealth of a rural household (Nwosu et al, 2007). Goats have other functions such as provision of manure, cultural roles, playing a significant role in livelihoods
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