Prevalence and infestation load of ixodid ticks of cattle in Dassenech District, Southern Ethiopia

Ticks are harmful blood sucking external parasites of livestock that are distributed in all agro-ecological zones in Ethiopia. A cross sectional study was conducted to identify major tick genera, prevalence and assess tick infestation load on cattle in Dassenech district, southern Ethiopia from October 2014 to June 2015. A total of 384 animals were sampled using random sampling technique. Ticks were collected from different sites including the ear, neck dewlap, abdomen, anus, hip udder, scrotum and base of tail. Of the total examined animals, 72.1% (n=277/384) tick infestation prevalence was recorded. Rhipicephalus/ Boophilus was the most abundant tick genera (84.64%) among the three identified tick genera in the district followed by Amblyomma. There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence of tick infestation among male and female animals (χ2=1.61; p=0.205) as well as age group (χ2=1.30; p=0.254). Animals with poor body condition score had significantly higher tick prevalence (89.47%) than medium (77.48%) and good body condition score (48.74%) animals (χ2=51.6; p=0.001). This finding indicated that there is high prevalence of tick infestation in the area which alarms for further detailed investigation and designing efficient method of tick control in the study area.Keywords: Amblyomma; Rhipicephalus/Boophilus; Tick infestation; Tick burde

Assessment on problems associated with artificial insemination service in dairy cattle in Tullo district, West Hararghe, Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted from November 2015 to May 2016 with the objective of assessing the problems associated with artificial insemination service in dairy cattle in five selected peasant associations of Tullo district, west Hararghe, Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was used for 389 dairy cattle owners, 3 artificial insemination technicians and 8 animal health professionals. The result of the study showed that 219 (56.3%) of the dairy farmers get artificial insemination services regularly and without interruption while 170 (43.7%) do not use this service regularly due to shortage of artificial insemination technicians (18.2%), discontinuation of service on weekends and holidays (51.2%) and shortage of inputs (30.6.0%). Conception failure (34.9%) was identified by dairy cattle owners as a major problem of AI followed by death of embryo or dystocia (28%). About 71.1% of the owners wait for the next oestrus as they are unable to get AI service during heat period while 28.9% use natural mating if they do not get the service. The questionnaire survey indicated that artificial insemination service faces several constraints and needs improvement for increasing the productivity of dairy cattle in term of genetic improvement in the study area.Keywords: Artificial insemination; Cross breed; Cross sectional; Dairy cattle; Tull

Ectoparasites of small ruminants in and around Kombolcha, northeastern Ethiopia

Infestation of small ruminants by ectoparasites such as ticks, mites, lice and fleas could lead to considerable economic loss due to morbidity, mortality and skin rejection. A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites of small ruminants and to identify different ectoparasite fauna in and around Kombolcha, northeastern Ethiopia. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate preliminary data. The study also employed clinical examination and laboratory identification of different ectoparasites into genera and species level. A total of 350 small ruminants (147 sheep and 203 goats) were sampled and examined for prevalence of ectoparasites. The result of the questionnaire survey indicated that sheep and goats were the main species of animals raised by the farmers. The overall prevalence of ectoparasites were 25.7% (90/350), in which 25.9% (38/147) and 25.6% (52/203) prevalence were recorded in sheep and goats, respectively. The proportion of ectoparasites include: lice (11.7%), ticks (7.4%), mites (4.0%) and fleas (2.6%) in descending order. A. variegatum, R. evertsi, S. caprae, D. caprae, L. africanus, D. caprae, S. ovis and C. canis were identified at species level. There was no statistically significant association (p>0.05) between the prevalence of ectoparasites and the species, sex, age and body condition except Rhipicephalus decoloratus which was significantly higher in sheep with poor body condition. The study revealed ectoparasites to be one of the main constraints to small ruminant production in the area and hence warrants further strategic intervention.Keywords: Ectoparasite; Goat; Infestation; Kombolcha; Prevalence; Shee

Gastrointestinal nematodes of donkeys in and around Alage, South Western Ethiopia

Gastrointestinal parasites are one of the most common factors that constrain the health and working performance of donkeys. The present study was aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify major risk factors associated with donkey’s gastrointestinal nematode infection in and around Alage, South Western Ethiopia. A total of 384 randomly selected donkeys were sampled from 4 peasant associations for coprological examination of gastrointestinal nematode infection. The direct fecal smear, flotation and fecal culture methods were utilized to identify the eggs and larvae of parasites in feces, respectively. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes recorded in donkeys examined was 99.5%. The study showed that the prevalence of Parascaris equorum, Oxyuris equi and Strongyle were 53.6%, 4.9% and 99.5%, respectively. Significantly (P<0.05) higher prevalence was observed for Oxyuris equi and Parascaris equorum in young donkeys than in both adults and old donkeys. The study showed that the prevalence of Strongyle was significantly higher than both Parascaris equorum and Oxyuris equi in all age groups of donkeys. There was also statistically significant difference in prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes between sex, age, body condition and among peasant associations in different species of the parasites. Identification of third stage larvae of Strongyle species from 40 samples revealed high prevalence of Strongylus vulgaris (100%) followed by Cythostomes (97.5%) and Strongylus edentates (70%). The current study demonstrated that gastrointestinal nematodes are the major health challenges of donkeys in the study area. Therefore strategic dewrming and other nematode control options were recommended to be considered in order to improve the health, productivity and welfare of donkeys in the study area.Keywords: Donkeys; Ethiopia; Gastrointestinal; Nematodes; Prevalenc

Study on ruminant tick infestation, phytochemical analysis and in vitro acaricidal effect of Calpurnia aurea and Otostegia integrifolia extracts on Amblyomma variegatum

Ticks limit the productivity of livestock through decreased production, reproduction, increased mortality, downgrading and rejection of hides and skin. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of tick infestation in ruminant while experimental study was used to evaluate the in-vitro acaricidal efficacy of methanolic extracts: Calpurnia aurea and Otostegia integrifolia and the phytochemicals present in those extracts at different concentrations (200, 100, 50, 25, 12.5 and 6.25 mg/ml) against Amblyomma variegatum. Adult immersion was used for the in-vitro acaricidal efficacy test and plant extracts were subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening for the presence or absence of secondary metabolites using standard procedures. Out of the 160 goats, 152 sheep and 121 cattle, 23 (14.4%), 44 (28.9%) and 28 (23.1%) were found to be positive for tick infestation, respectively. The incidence of tick infestation was significantly different (p<0.01) among ruminants. Five tick spp. were identified: A. variegatum, A. gemma, R. decoloratus, R. evertsi evertsi and R. pulchellus. Extract of C. aurea and O. integrifolia was found to contain alkaloids, saponins, phlobatannin, steroids, phenolic, flavonoids, glycosides and tannins. However, both plants were found negative for triterpens. Extracts of C. aurea and O. integrifolia at 200 and 100 mg/ml concentrations showed a significantly higher (p<0.05) acaricidal activities compared to other treatments at 24 hrs post exposure. Mortality of ticks was increased with the increased dosage (concentration) and exposure time after treatment. Extracts of C. aurea showed a significantly higher (p<0.05) tick mortality (52%) compared to those of O. integrifolia (27%). This is a promising finding to have alternative means of treatment and to substitute the use of synthetic drugs which have a wide spread drug resistance especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. Key words: Calpurnia aurea; in-vitro test; Otostegia integrifolia; Phytochemical screening; Tick infestatio

In Vitro Acaricidal Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used against Ticks in Eastern Ethiopia

A study was carried out to evaluate the acaricidal activities of crude methanolic extract of leaves of six medicinal plants, namely, Vernonia amygdalina, Calpurnia aurea, Schinus molle, Ricinus communis, Croton macrostachyus, and Nicotiana tabacum, against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus and Rhipicephalus pulchellus using an in vitro adult immersion test. Five graded concentrations of the crude extracts, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/ml, were tested at different time intervals, and temporal changes in tick viability were recorded for 24 hours. Diazinon (0.1%) and distilled water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Standard procedures were applied to screen the phytochemical constituents of the tested plant parts. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of a condensed amount of tannins in all extracts. Starting from 30 min post exposure, the 100 mg/ml concentration of C. aurea and R. communis extracts has caused significantly higher mortality (P0.05) at 24 hr post exposure period. Tick killing activity of all evaluated plant extracts increases with increasing exposure time and concentration as well. Thus, all the tested plants could be used against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus and Rhipicephalus pulchellus as a potential alternative to substitute commercially available drugs. We recommend further study on fractionating each component separately and validating the materials

Bovine tuberculosis in eastern Ethiopia: prevalence, risk factors and its public health importance

Abstract Background Bovine tuberculosis is among the primary zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis which has significant impact on the health of livestock and human. It has been significantly a cause for great economic loss in animal production. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2014 to June 2016 on 315 cattle in selected areas of eastern Ethiopia, aiming to estimate the occurrence of bovine tuberculosis using comparative intradermal tuberculin skin test and assess cattle owners’ awareness on its public health implication. Random sampling method was applied in order to select animals from farm/household and associated risk factors were recorded before purified protein derivative (PPD) injection. Forty three farm/household owners of tuberculin tested animals were interviewed using pre-tested structured questionnaires. Results The overall prevalence of bovine tuberculosis was 20.3% (n = 64) in dairy cattle at recommended cut off > 4 mm. From a total of 43 farms/households tested, 22 were positive; each farm exhibited at least one tuberculin positive reactor animal with a total herd level prevalence of 51.2%. The prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in individual animal level was significantly different (χ2 = 45.2; P-value = 0.000) in different sites with a higher prevalence (50%) in Dire Dawa. Farming system, herd size and other risk factors were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with bovine tuberculosis occurrence. Of the total interviewed farm owners, only 33% had the knowledge of or had heard about bovine tuberculosis and 23% respondents were aware of the zoonotic importance of the disease. More than 50% of the interviewees had shown their preference of raw milk consumption. Out of the total interviewed households, 3 (7%) farm workers had TB cases that had direct contact with the animals. Conclusion The study showed bovine tuberculosis is highly prevalent. Associated risk factors contributed to the prevalence of the disease in cattle and its transmission. Moreover, the majority of cattle owners lack awareness about the disease and its public health significance. Awareness rising about the disease, its transmission and zoonotic implication is of great importance for reduction and control measures. Evidence of tuberculosis patient farm attendants calls also for further detail investigation