Abstract

Although, many studies have been conducted to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) helminths of cattle in Ethiopia, most of them were conducted using simple fecal egg examination rather than larval identification to identify the nematodes. A cross sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to April 2017 with the aim of estimating the prevalence of GIT helminths and identifying nematode genera in cattle in and around Bishoftu, Ethiopia. Of the 300 cattle examined using standard parasitological methods, 42.33% were positive for GIT helminth egg presence. The prevalence rates of GIT helminth based on the age and sex of the cattle were 37.6, 43.9, 60 and 27.9%, in young, adult, male and female animals, respectively. Strongyle type eggs were the most prevalent among the helminthes investigated. The pooled larval culture showed that Haemonchus, Oesophagostomum and Trichostrongylus were the most common nematodes found, with Haemonchus being present in 27.8% of cases, followed by Trichostrongylus (18%) and Oesophagostomum (4.48%). Mixed infection of GIT nematodes (44.4%) is higher than single (mono) infection. Thus, it could be concluded that GIT helminths of cattle cause serious problems in livestock production in the area.

Key words: Control, fecal culture, nematode, mixed infection, season.