Prevalence and Diversity of Ovine Gastrointestinal Parasites in the District Lower Dir: Prevalence and Diversity of Ovine Gastrointestinal Parasites

Razimand Khan; Abdus Salam; Saira Saira; Khayyam Khayyam; Abid Iqbal; Rehman Mahmood Khattak; Muhammad Younas

doi:10.54393/mjz.v6i1.148

Authors

Razimand Khan Department of Zoology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Dir Upper, Pakistan
Abdus Salam Department of Zoology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Dir Upper, Pakistan
Saira Saira Department of Chemical and Life Sciences, Qurtaba University of Science and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
Khayyam Khayyam Department of Zoology, Islamia College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Abid Iqbal Department of Zoology, Islamia College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Rehman Mahmood Khattak Department of Zoology, Islamia College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Muhammad Younas Department of Zoology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Dir Upper, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/mjz.v6i1.148

Keywords:

Prevalence, Diversity, Gastrointestinal Parasites, Sheep

Abstract

Gastrointestinal parasitism is a key challenge to sheep production globally, These parasites result in weight loss, diarrhea, anemia, and higher production costs. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in ovine of district lower Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Methods: A fecal sample was taken at random from the rectum of sheep (Ovis aries) using gloved fingers. The faecal components were then placed in sterile plastic bottles containing 10% formalin. A total number of 584 faecal samples of sheep were collected and then analyzed for the presence of parasites. Among them, 219 sheep were male, and 365 were female. Results: The Overall prevalence rate was 89.04%. Most commonly, parasites were Haemonchus spp., Strongyloides spp., Trichuris spp., Fasciola hepaticas spp., and Moniezia spp., which were 43.27, 28.57, 15.59, 3.6, and 1.7% prevalences, respectively. Based on sex, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the overall incidence of gastrointestinal parasites between male (33.39%) and female (55.65%) sheep. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in adult sheep was higher (69.18%) than in young sheep (19.86%). The highest infection was observed in the Balkhi breed (38.7%) and the Damani breed (32.53%) in comparison to the Lokhi breed (18.32%) (p<0.05). In contrast, in the tehsil-wise comparison, the maximum number of gastrointestinal parasites prevalence (17.46%) was recorded in tehsil Samar Bagh, followed by tehsil Munda 15.23%, Lal Qila 13.01%, Balambat 9.1%, and tehsil Khall 8.4%. Conclusions: It was concluded that parasitic spp, sex, age, breed, and different tehsils are vital factors that affect the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites.

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