Prevalence of Gastro-Intestinal Parasites in Sheep and Goats and Zoonotic Helminthes in Asmara Slaughterhouse in Maekel Region, Eritrea
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Date
2025-10
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Gastrointestinal parasites are the main cause of parasitic infections in livestock especially
in small ruminants including sheep and goats. Small ruminants are a major source of
livelihoods for small-scale farmers in many parts of the world including Africa. These
animals provide direct income from sales, as well as food products like the meat and
milk. In Eritrea, small ruminants are a great source of income and food products for many
small-scale farmers. However, the productivity in these animals has been greatly affected
by infections associated with gastrointestinal parasites. Although some studies have been
conducted and reported from the southern part of the country, there have been no reports
on disease risk factors. In addition, there have been no studies carried out on disease
prevalence and associated risk factors of GI-parasites in Maekel region of Eritrea. The
aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI)
parasites, associated risk factors and the zoonotic helminths from slaughter house in
Maekel region, Eritrea. A total of 384 barka sheep and rora goats were sampled to
determine the current gastrointestinal parasitic disease prevalence. Fecal samples were
obtained from the animals and examined for the presence of parasites microscopically.
Data were analyzed using STATA version 12 utilizing one-way analysis of Variance
(ANOVA) and T test. Results indicated overall disease prevalence of 91.33% among the
sampled animals. Different parasite species caused disease in varying infection rates
including Haemonchus spp (27.2%), Eimeria spp, (19.79%), Cooperia spps (15.9%),
Strongylus spps (11.9%), Monezia spp (7.8%), Ascaris spps (5.5%), Dictyocaulus filarial
(5.2%), Paramphistomum cervix (5.2%), Oesophagostomum colunibiamum (3.7%),
Chabertia.ovina (3.7%), Trichuris globulosa (3.4%), Ostertagia circuncincta (0.5%),
Bunostomum trigunocephelum (2.1%) and Nematodirus (1.8%). The rainy season was
associated with more infections than dry season. Zoonotic helminths of sheep and goats
in Asmara slaughterhouse of Maekel region were dominated by hydatid cysts,
Strongyloides, Trichuris, Ascaris, Paramphistomum, Dictyocaulus filaria, Haemonchus
egg and Fasciola spp. Risk factors included poor housing, mixed housing with other
animals, common water supply with other livestock, irregular deworming and poor
knowledge of farmers on parasitic helminths. It was observed that significantly more
female than male animals were infected with parasites (P<0.05). Based on these findings,
the study concludes that parasitic infections are highly prevalent in sheep and goats in the
study area. In addition, zoonotic parasites were common and the wet season was
associated with higher infections than the dry season. Furthermore, risk factors like poor
housing and contaminated water sources may be associated with increased infections as
the lack of management practices. The study recommends introduction of mass drug
administration targeting both humans and animals. In addition, community health
education can be used to empower farmers with necessary knowledge and skills for
disease prevention and control.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science (Applied Parasitology) in the School of Pure and Applied Sciences of Kenyatta University, October 2025.
Supervisors
1. Dr. Fredrick Maloba- Department of Zoological Sciences
2. Dr. Joshua Mutiso- Department of Zoological Sciences
3. Dr. Efrem Ghebremeskel- Director of National Animal and Plant Health Laboratory, Ministry of Agriculture Asmara, Eritrea