Abstract
As a more detailed continuation of a previous study, faecal samples for worm egg counts were collected per rectum from ten marked adult animals in selected flocks of goats, in each of six villages evenly spread out in the communal farming district of Okakarara in eastern Namibia. The study was conducted on a monthly basis from August 1999 to July 2000. Average faecal worm egg counts (FECs) were highest during the warm-wet season, much lower during the cold-dry months and moderate during the hot-dry season. Least square means of FECs were 2140, 430 and 653 per gram of faeces for the three seasons, respectively. Seasonal variation in egg counts was significant (P < 0.0001). Gastrointestinal strongyles, and to a lesser extent Strongyloides species, were the predominant parasite groups identified in goats. Kidding rates peaked in the cold-dry season and mortality rates in the hot-dry season. Results of this study suggest that gastrointestinal parasitism may be a problem that accentuates the effect of poor nutrition on small ruminants during the season of food shortages in the east of Namibia and that the use of FECs per se to assess the severity of gastrointestinal parasitic infection in goats followed by chemoprophylactic strategic and/or tactical treatment, may not be the best approach to addressing the worm problem under resource-poor conditions. The use of the FAMACHA system that identifies severely affected animals for treatment is technically a better option for communal farmers.
Highlights
Infection by gastrointestinal parasites is one of the most serious problems affecting small ruminant populations worldwide (Pugh, Hilton & Mobini 1998; Natural Resources, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia 2 Farming Systems Research and Extension, Directorate of Research and Training, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, Private Bag 1437, Otjiwarongo, Namibia Accepted for publication 12 May 2003—EditorWaller 1999)
In Namibia, faecal egg count (FEC) is still the main technique used to determine the severity of gastrointestinal parasitic infection in livestock
Average FECs in goats varied from one village to another, and from month to month in the same village (Table 1)
Summary
Infection by gastrointestinal parasites is one of the most serious problems affecting small ruminant populations worldwide (Pugh, Hilton & Mobini 1998; Natural Resources, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia 2 Farming Systems Research and Extension, Directorate of Research and Training, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, Private Bag 1437, Otjiwarongo, Namibia Accepted for publication 12 May 2003—EditorWaller 1999). The aim of this study was to determine the evolution of the parasitic burden in goats in the eastern communal area of Namibia and to recommend sustainable worm control protocols that are affordable and manageable by communal farmers themselves to estimate and combat parasitic infection in small ruminants. It is a continuation of a previous study of the same nature in the same area (Kumba, Undi, Katjivena, Kauta, Hengua & Tjiteere 2000)
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