Prevalence of Major Parasitic Agents Involved in Camel Skin Diseases in Babile District, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Aim A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2017 up to April 2018 in Babile district, Eastern Hararghe zone, Oromiya regional state of Ethiopia. Objective To determine the prevalence of major parasitic agents involved in camel skin diseases and their risk factors. Method A cross-sectional study design was implemented to determine the prevalence of major parasitic pathogens, particularly mange mites and ticks affecting camel skin, and associated risk factors. The target animals for the study were dromedary camels reared under pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems in Babile district of Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia. The sample size for the study was estimated by taking an expected prevalence of 50%, an accepted error of 5%, and a confidence level of 95%. A chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in the occurrence of parasites among categorical variables (age, sex, herd size, and season). A p-value≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 768 camels examined, 122 (15.9%) and 113 (14.7%) were found to be infested with ticks of various species and Sarcoptes species, respectively. Nine hundred twenty-nine (929) adult tick species, including 329 (35.4%) males and 600 (64.59%) females, were collected from selected camels. The tick species identified in the present study were Rhipicephalus pulchellus (29.7%), Amblyomma gemma (4.84%), Hyalomma dromedarii (13.56%), Boophilus decoloratus (2.58%), Amblyomma variegatum (23.04%), Amblyomma coherence (8.61%), Rhipicephalus evertsievertsi (9.15%), Rhipicephalus pravus (2.37%), Rhipicephalus sanguines (4.2%), Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (1.08%) and Hyalomma marginatum (0.86%). The mean tick burden observed was 1.2 ticks per camel. Sarcoptes species was the only mite observed during this study. The tick infestation rate varied significantly (p<0.05) between seasons (dry and wet), between sex groups, and between herd sizes of camels. However, there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the prevalence of tick infestation between the age groups. Mange mite infestation varied significantly between age groups (young and adults). Conclusion Finally, the tick and mange mite infestations were highly prevalent in the indigenous dromedary camels in the Babile district. Therefore, special attention should be given to the programmed tick and mite control campaign in the area.