Abstract

This research was done in the North-western region of Rwanda and the aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of bovine dictyocaulosis and influences of altitude and age on infestation in the region. Dictyocaulosis is a parasitic disease caused by the presence and the development of parasite Dictyocaulus species in the lung. On a random sample of 1470 slaughtered animals, the study revealed 68 cases of dictyocaulosis, which represents 4.6% of the total of the slaughtered animals, with variations of between 1.3 and 7.5% in different sites. The study showed a variation of the prevalence, which is related to altitude (from 1470 to 3000 m) and age (p < 0.05). There is need to craft specific measures against dictyocaulosis in the areas of high altitude of Rwanda.

Key words: Altitude, bovine, dictyocaulosis, lung, prevalence, Rwanda.