Prevalence and Seasonal Variation of Ovine Platyhelminth Parasitism in Ganderbal Area of Kashmir Valley

Six hundred faecal samples and fifty five slaughtered/dead sheep were examined to determine the prevalence of platyhelminthes of sheep in Ganderbal district of Kashmir valley. Overall prevalence of platyhelminths was 32.36% with trematodes and cestodes in 20.91 and 15.26% animals respectively. Moniezia spp. was the most prevalent platyhelminth (12.82%) followed by Dicrocoelium spp. (11.45%), paramphistomes (6.56%), Fasciola spp. (5.34%), Stilesia spp. (3.20%) and Avitellina spp. (0.45%). Seasonal variation revealed non significantly higher infection during winter (39.26%) followed by spring (34.54%), summer (29.69%) and autumn (25.92%). Higher infection rate was recorded in adults (34.15%) and female sheep (33.99%) than lambs/hoggets (29.48%) and males (29.71%).