Equine parascarosis under the tropical weather conditions of Ethiopia: a coprological and postmortem study
- A. M. Getachew, DVM, MVM, PhD1,
- G. T. Innocent, BVM&S, MSc, PhD1,
- A. F. Trawford, BVSc, MSc, CVMA, MRCVS3,
- G. Feseha, BSc, DVM, MVSc4,
- S. J. W. Reid, BVMS, PhD, DipECVPH, MRCVS, FRSE1 and
- S. Love, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS2
- 1 Division of Animal Production and Health, Comparative Epidemiology and Informatics
- 2 Division of Companion Animal Sciences, Institute of Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH
- 3 Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 0NU
- 4 Donkey Health and Welfare Project and SPANA, PO Box 34, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia
- Correspondence to Dr Innocent
Abstract
A cross-sectional coprological survey in the regions of Ada, Akaki, Bereh and Boset, and a retrospective postmortem investigation were conducted to study the epidemiology of Parascaris equorum in donkeys and horses in Ethiopia. Faecal samples from 803 working donkeys and 402 horses were collected, and the numbers of worms recovered from 112 donkeys examined postmortem between 1995 and 2004 were analysed. There was a high prevalence of infection and faecal egg output of P equorum in both donkeys and horses, and the severity of the infection in donkeys was increased irrespective of their age. The prevalence of the infection in the donkeys was 51·1 per cent and in the horses 16·2 per cent, and the prevalence in the donkeys examined postmortem was 55 per cent. There was no significant difference between different age groups of donkeys in either the prevalence or the intensity of the infection. The prevalence of the infection was significantly higher in the Ada and Akaki regions than in the Bereh and Boset regions.
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