Wells D, Krecek R C, Wells M, Guthrie A J, Lourens J C
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa.
Vet Parasitol. 1998 Jun 15;77(2-3):163-77. doi: 10.1016/s0304-4017(98)00105-8.
In Southern Africa, where 150,000 working donkeys provide an important alternative to mechanisation in resource-poor communities, very little is known about their helminth status, or about the impact of helminths on their work output. The aim of this study was to investigate the helminth status of working donkeys under different management systems. Donkey owners in three different areas (one rural and two semi-rural) of the Moretele 1 district of North-West Province, South Africa, were visited and structured interviews were used to assess the management systems under which the donkeys were kept. Faecal samples were collected from 93 donkeys in the study once a month for 14 months. Faecal samples were analysed for nematode and trematode eggs and cultured to produce third-stage larvae for the identification of the nematode species. Final comparisons between management system subgroups, as well as between areas, age groups and sexes were made. Four management systems were identified. (1) The first system identified consisted of donkeys which were kept in a small yard at all times. They were fed hay but no supplementary food. (2) The second system consisted of donkeys which were allowed to roam freely around the village most of the time and rounded up and held in an enclosure when needed for work. (3) The third system was identical to the second management system except that the donkeys were given supplementary food during winter. (4) The fourth system was only found in the one area where each owner owned 10 ha of land and here the donkeys were allowed to roam freely on the owner's land and brought into enclosures prior to working. Helminth species composition and faecal egg count numbers differed between these four systems. The main difference noted was that donkeys from management system one showed significantly higher numbers of strongyle eggs and higher percentages of some of the strongyle larvae. Management system two had a higher Strongyloides mean egg count and prevalence than the other areas. Parascaris and Gastrodiscus egg counts differed between all four systems. Since the results showed differences in the number and species of helminths in donkeys kept under the four management systems, suggestions are made as to which management system would facilitate reduction of helminth parasites in the animals. Although supplementary feeding in Moretele 1 is fairly rare, it would seem that donkeys which do have access to better food resources have lower egg counts than donkeys on limited grazing.
在南部非洲，15万头役用驴为资源匮乏社区提供了一种重要的替代机械化的方式，但人们对它们的蠕虫感染状况以及蠕虫对其工作产出的影响知之甚少。本研究的目的是调查不同管理系统下役用驴的蠕虫感染状况。研究人员走访了南非西北省莫雷泰勒1区三个不同区域（一个农村区域和两个半农村区域）的驴主人，并通过结构化访谈来评估驴的饲养管理系统。在14个月的时间里，每月从研究中的93头驴采集粪便样本一次。对粪便样本进行线虫和吸虫卵分析，并进行培养以产生第三期幼虫，用于线虫种类的鉴定。最后对管理系统亚组之间以及区域、年龄组和性别之间进行了比较。确定了四种管理系统。（1）第一种确定的系统是始终将驴饲养在一个小院子里。它们以干草为食，但没有补充食物。（2）第二种系统是大部分时间允许驴在村庄里自由游荡，在需要工作时将它们围捕并圈养起来。（3）第三种系统与第二种管理系统相同，只是在冬季给驴提供补充食物。（4）第四种系统只在一个区域发现，每个主人拥有10公顷土地，在这里驴被允许在主人的土地上自由游荡，并在工作前被带入圈舍。这四种系统的蠕虫种类组成和粪便虫卵计数不同。注意到的主要差异是，来自第一种管理系统的驴显示出显著更多的圆线虫卵数量以及一些圆线虫幼虫的更高百分比。第二种管理系统的类圆线虫平均虫卵计数和感染率高于其他区域。四种系统的蛔虫和腹盘吸虫虫卵计数都不同。由于结果显示在四种管理系统下饲养的驴的蠕虫数量和种类存在差异，因此针对哪种管理系统有助于减少动物体内的蠕虫寄生虫提出了建议。虽然在莫雷泰勒1区补充喂养相当少见，但似乎有更好食物资源的驴比放牧受限的驴虫卵计数更低。
