Kagenda Gabriel Atwoki, Angwech Harriet
Department of Biology, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu, Uganda.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2018 Oct;50(7):1599-1604. doi: 10.1007/s11250-018-1600-0. Epub 2018 Apr 27.
The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasite infections and associated risk factors was studied in traditionally reared East African short-horned zebu cattle in Lira District, Uganda. Fecal samples were collected from 205 cattle and coprologically examined for the presence of helminth parasites using the simple salt flotation method complemented with the sedimentation method. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites (GITPs) in cattle in Adekokwok, Lira District, was 32.2%. Of these, 12 (18.18%) were cases of mixed infections mainly of Amphistomes and other GITPs. Paramphistomum was the most prevalent parasite contributing up to 45.5% of infections, followed by Fasciola, Toxocara, strongyles, Trichuris, and Nematodirus, in descending order of abundance. GITP infections were not influenced by the sex of cattle, while infection with Toxocara was associated with cattle age. The mean body condition score (BCS) for all animals studied was 2.37 ± 0.07. A low BCS was associated with gastrointestinal helminth infections. Nevertheless, other factors such as nutritional stress are likely to augment the effects of parasites in the traditional agro-pastoral system particularly in the dry season and should therefore be considered when using the cattle body condition as an indicator of parasitism.
在乌干达利拉区传统饲养的东非短角瘤牛中，研究了胃肠道蠕虫寄生虫感染的流行情况及相关风险因素。从205头牛采集粪便样本，采用简单盐浮选法并辅以沉淀法，对粪便样本进行寄生虫检查，以确定是否存在蠕虫寄生虫。利拉区阿德科科沃克牛群中胃肠道蠕虫寄生虫（GITPs）的总体感染率为32.2%。其中，12例（18.18%）为混合感染病例，主要是双口吸虫和其他GITPs。双口吸虫是最常见的寄生虫，感染率高达45.5%，其次是肝片吸虫、弓首蛔虫、圆线虫、鞭虫和细颈线虫，感染率依次递减。GITP感染不受牛性别的影响，而弓首蛔虫感染与牛的年龄有关。所有研究动物的平均体况评分（BCS）为2.37±0.07。低BCS与胃肠道蠕虫感染有关。然而，在传统农牧系统中，特别是在旱季，营养应激等其他因素可能会增强寄生虫的影响，因此在将牛的体况作为寄生虫感染指标时应予以考虑。
