Coprological detection of equine nematodes among slaughtered donkeys (Equus asinus) in Kaltungo, Nigeria

Vet World Vol.12 December-2019 Article-4

Research Article

Veterinary World, 12(12): 1911-1915

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2019.1911-1915

Tobias Nnia Egbe-Nwiyi¹, Bura Thlama Paul², and Ajuji Chungsyn Cornelius¹

1. Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Bama Road, Maiduguri 600230, Nigeria.
2. Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Bama Road, Maiduguri 600230, Nigeria.

Background and Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and intensity of nematode infection among slaughtered donkeys in Kaltungo, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A total of 72 fecal samples were examined by salt flotation and the modified McMaster fecal egg count technique to morphologically identify nematodes eggs and determine their egg per gram (EPG) outputs.

Results: Out of a total of 72 (100%) donkeys sampled, 36 (50%) tested positive, but the prevalence of nematodes was independent of the age, sex, and breed of donkeys (p>0.05). Among the four species of nematodes identified in single and mixed infections, Strongylus spp. (27.8%) and Dictyocaulus arnfieldi (13.9%) were the most prevalent followed by Strongyloides westeri (5.6%) and Trichonema spp. (5.6%). Infected donkeys had moderate overall mean EPG (801.39±611.3) with no statistical differences between age groups and sexes (p>0.05), but means of EPG were significantly higher (p<0.05) in Duni (1026.92±719.55) than Idabari (673.91±514.75). Light EPG count was recorded among 63.9% of infected donkeys, while 16.7% and 19.4% had moderate and severe infections, respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence and importance of equine nematodes were discussed in connection to their epidemiology and control. Furthermore, the preponderance of light infection may suggest that donkeys in this environment developed resistance to nematode infection and are potential reservoirs for other equines. Keywords: detection, donkey, egg per gram, Gombe, nematodes, Nigeria.

Keywords: detection, donkey, egg per gram, Gombe, nematodes, Nigeria.

How to cite this article: Egbe-Nwiyi TN, Paul BT, Cornelius AC (2019) Coprological detection of equine nematodes among slaughtered donkeys (Equus asinus) in Kaltungo, Nigeria, Veterinary World, 12(12): 1911-1915.

Received: 29-07-2019 Accepted: 17-10-2019 Published online: 07-12-2019

Corresponding author: Bura Thlama Paul E-mail: bpaulgadzama@unimaid.edu.ng

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2019.1911-1915

Copyright: Egbe-Nwiyi, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.