Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Parasites of Small Ruminants in Gechi District, Southwest Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2011 to March 2012 on 410 randomly selected small ruminants (255 sheep and 155 goats) in Gechi district, Southwestern Ethiopia, with the objectives of determining the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites and assessing the potential risk factors. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 82.2% (337/410). 84.3% (215/255) of sheep and 78.7% (122/155) of goats harbored gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. Nematode parasites, Eimeria and Moniezia were found to infect the small ruminants in the area with the overall prevalence of 54.1%, 14.6% and 13.4%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites between sex (P < 0.05; OR=1.904) and species of animals (P < 0.05; OR=1.941), but no between the different age groups. Out of the 337 sheep and goats that were positive by floatation technique, 9.2, 65.5 and 25.2% were massively, moderately and lightly infested, respectively. However, there was no statistically significant difference in egg per gram (EPG) among different age groups, sex and species. This study showed that, GI parasites are highly prevalent in small ruminants of Gechi district. Therefore, control via strategic deworming and appropriate grazing techniques of animals should be encouraged in the study area.