High Burden of Goat Gastrointestinal Nematodes in South Ethiopia: Prevalence, Species Composition and Determinants of Infection.

Authors

Fitsum Dulo, Tekle Alaro

Published in

Veterinary medicine and science. Volume 12. Issue 6. Pages e71281.

Abstract

In rural areas, goat farming is essential for maintaining livelihoods by ensuring income generation and enhancing agricultural resilience globally. However, the productivity of small ruminant systems is significantly affected by parasitic infections from gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs), particularly in regions where extensive production systems dominate.
The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and infection intensity of GIN parasites and associated risk factors in goats in the Humbo District of Southern Ethiopia.
A cross-sectional study examined faecal samples from 384 goats using a flotation test with the modified McMaster egg-counting technique, complemented by coproculture for nematode genera identification.
The study revealed an overall GINs prevalence of 71.4% (95% CI: 66.6%-75.8%). Amongst the identified nematode parasites, Strongyle-type egg (STE) nematodes were the most common (45.3%), followed by mixed infections of STE and Strongyloides (14.6%), Strongyloides (10.15%) and Trichuris (1.3%) infections. Coproculture of pooled faecal samples (100 larvae counted) further identified Haemonchus (46%), Trichostrongylus (32%), Teladorsagia (12%), Oesophagostomum (5%), Bunostomum (3%) and Chabertia (2%) as the predominant genera. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that younger goats, goats in poor body condition and those managed in lowland agroecological zones significantly influenced the occurrence of GINs infection (p < 0.05). Younger goats had 2.2 times more odds of GINs infection compared to adults (95% CI: 1.3-3.6), and poorly body-conditioned goats had 8.1 fold an increased risk (95% CI: 3.4-19.3). Goats in lowland areas are 2.5 more likely to harbour GINs compared to those in midland areas (95% CI: 1.5-4.1). Infection intensity assessments showed that the most affected goats exhibited light infection (88.9%), with a smaller proportion experiencing moderate (7.1%) and heavy burdens (4%).
These findings underscore the substantial impact of GIN infections on goat health and productivity in the region and warrant the need for strengthened targeted parasite control strategies to reduce infection pressure and improve goat productivity in the study area.

PMID:
42904853
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.

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