Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infection is a serious issue in cattle management. The effects of GI parasites may vary with age, sex of cattle, nutritional condition, and severity of infection. Prevalence of GI parasites among cattle population in Gampaha District has not been studied and there is no published study available. A total of 45 farms rearing cattle were selected randomly in three areas, namely, Kelaniya, Ganemulla, and Welisara, under three Veterinary Surgeon Divisions (VSD) in Gampaha District (Mahara, Gampaha, and Welisara). Freshly voided cattle fecal samples were collected randomly from the selected farms during March 2017–December 2017. Out of 163 cattle and buffaloes examined, 13.39% (n=22) were positive for eggs of one or more species of GI parasites. The prevalence of parasitic infection was higher in buffaloes (31.25%, 5/16) as compared to that of cows (11.56%, 21/147), but the difference was not significant (P >0.05). Hookworms (Bunostomum spp.), whipworms (Trichuris spp.), digenetic trematodes (Paramphistomum spp.), cestodes (Moniezia spp.), and oocysts of protozoans (coccidians) were found during the study. The nontreated animals indicated the highest percentage of parasitic infections accounting for 46.67% (n= 14), followed by partially treated individuals (15.15%, n= 5). GI parasite prevalence in males was higher when compared to that of females, but the difference was nonsignificant (P >0.05). General Linear Modelling (GLM) revealed that the effect of treatment status was significantly associated with the prevalence of GI parasites. The calves and yearlings had the highest rate of GI parasitic infections. The highest infection rate was observed at Kelaniya, followed by Welisara. Future investigations are necessary to evaluate the economic impact of GI parasites in the study areas.
Highlights
Livestock farming, rearing of cattle (Bos indicus/Bos tarsus) and Ceylon buffalo (Bubalus bubalis migona), is traditionally practiced by rural people in Sri Lanka [1]
The treated population was denoted by only 3% (n= 3) occurrence of GI parasitic infections (Table 1)
As indicated in General Linear Modelling (GLM), the effect of treatment status was significantly correlated with the prevalence of GI parasitic infections (P
Summary
Rearing of cattle (Bos indicus/Bos tarsus) and Ceylon buffalo (Bubalus bubalis migona), is traditionally practiced by rural people in Sri Lanka [1]. Rearing of cattle in the country is catering for draught power, milk production, and meat production. All ages of cattle are affected by a diverse set of intestinal parasites. These infections are rarely associated with high mortality of cattle. Their effects are usually characterized by lower outputs of animal products, byproducts, manure, and traction, thereby affecting the contributions of cattle in ensuring food security, especially in developing countries [2, 3]. The productivity losses through reduced feed intake and decreased efficiency in feed utilization due to subclinical
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