Molla Wassie, Moliso Mesfin Mekonnen, Gizaw Solomon, Nane Tesfalem, Arke Asrat, Ayele Firdawok, Knight-Jones Theodore
Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Animal and Human Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Front Vet Sci. 2023 Mar 21;10:1094672. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1094672. eCollection 2023.
In Ethiopia, small ruminants contribute significantly to livelihoods and food security but productivity is low with high disease burden and essential endoparasite control not widely practiced. The current study assessed worm burden and its control in three districts in Ethiopia.
All sheep older than 3 months in nine villages were treated with albendazole and triclabendazole twice a year from 2018 to 2021. Treatments were administered under field conditions by animal health workers. Pre- and post-treatment data were assessed looking at fecal egg presence/absence and fecal egg per gram (EPG) count.
A total of 1,928 and 735 sheep were examined before and after deworming, respectively. Before treatment worms were detected in 54.4% (95% CI: 52.2-56.6) of sheep. Strongylid (30.4%) and (18.2%) were the most frequently identified parasites. Animals living in wet mid-highland environments were more than 23 times more likely to have strongylid eggs in their feces and 5 times more likely to have eggs from any gastrointestinal tract (GIT) parasites detected, as compared to animals living in moist highland agro-ecology. Over the course of the 2018-2021 community intervention there was total elimination of animals with a high worm burden (EPG > 1,500), and elimination of a third of those with moderate infections. Mild infections remained, largely accounted for by strongylid, which remains at low levels in healthy sheep. However, there were signs of emerging drug resistance.
Generally, sheep in smallholder systems in Ethiopia experience a needlessly large economic burden from GIT worms. Routine therapy reduces this burden but smart strategies are needed to limit the onset of drug resistance.
在埃塞俄比亚，小型反刍动物对生计和粮食安全做出了重大贡献，但生产力低下，疾病负担沉重，且基本的体内寄生虫控制措施未得到广泛实施。本研究评估了埃塞俄比亚三个地区的蠕虫负担及其控制情况。
2018年至2021年期间，每年两次对九个村庄中所有3个月以上的绵羊使用阿苯达唑和三氯苯达唑进行治疗。治疗由动物卫生工作者在野外条件下进行。治疗前后的数据通过检查粪便中是否存在虫卵以及每克粪便中的虫卵数（EPG）来评估。
驱虫前后分别共检查了1928只和735只绵羊。治疗前，54.4%（95%置信区间：52.2 - 56.6）的绵羊检测到蠕虫。圆线虫（30.4%）和（此处原文可能有误，未完整给出寄生虫名称）（18.2%）是最常发现的寄生虫。与生活在湿润高地农业生态环境中的动物相比，生活在湿润中高地环境中的动物粪便中出现圆线虫卵的可能性高出23倍以上，检测到任何胃肠道（GIT）寄生虫卵的可能性高出5倍。在2018 - 2021年的社区干预过程中，高蠕虫负担（EPG > 1500）的动物被全部清除，中度感染动物中有三分之一被清除。轻度感染仍然存在，主要由圆线虫引起，在健康绵羊中仍处于低水平。然而，出现了耐药迹象。
总体而言，埃塞俄比亚小农系统中的绵羊因胃肠道蠕虫承受着不必要的巨大经济负担。常规治疗可减轻这一负担，但需要明智的策略来限制耐药性的出现。
