Prevalence of Haemonchus contortus of Small Ruminants Slaughtered at Talata Mafara Central Abattoir, Talata Mafara Local Government, Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Haemonchosis is a common disease in small ruminants caused by Haemonchus contortus, a blood sucking parasite. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in small ruminants slaughtered at Talata Mafara Central Abattoir. A total of 381 faecal samples from slaughtered animals were examined from January to April, 2024 by Centrifugal flotation method. Overall prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in the study area was 26.24%. Out of 235 sheep and 146 goats examined during the study period, (15.74%) of sheep and (43.15%) of goat were infected. Female animals were found to harbour more Haemonchus contortus (29.4%) than males (18.58%). Similarly, adult small ruminants recorded higher prevalence of (27.5%) than young small ruminants (18.5%). There was significance association (P>0.05) between infection rate and sex of small ruminants. The results showed that Haemonchus contortus was prevalent in both sheep and goats in Talata Mafara Central abattoir. Adult, lavae and eggs of Haemonchus contortus all were detected during the study period. It is recommended that government should educated the farmers on the epidemiology of Haemonchus contortus and provide veterinary services available to them. Farmers also should improve their farming system in order to avoid risk factors.