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Veterinary medicine international2021; 2021; 9430824; doi: 10.1155/2021/9430824

Prevalence of Strongyle Infection and Associated Risk Factors in Horses and Donkeys in and around Mekelle City, Northern Part of Ethiopia.

Abstract: In Ethiopia, equines serve in traction power, carting, recreation, festival packing, riding, transportation, and other activities since time immemorial. Strongyles are common equine health problems in Ethiopia though research based data on equine strongyles are limited particularly in the study areas, in and around Mekelle city. Therefore, the present study was intended to estimate the prevalence of common equine strongyles in and around Mekelle city from November 2018 to April 2019 and to assess risk factors associated with infection of strongyle parasites as well. Cross sectional design was used in this study, and the study population consisted of both donkeys and horses of all age and both sex groups. From randomly selected horses and donkeys, approximately 25 grams of faecal samples was drawn with gloved hands from rectum of study equines, labeled, and transported to laboratory for coprological examination. Flotation technique was employed to separate parasitic eggs from faeces, followed by microscopic examination for identification of strongyle eggs based on morphology. Pearson's chi-square (2) was carried out to determine association between risk factors and parasitic infection. Moreover, both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were computed to assess the strength of association of those risk factors at 95% CI and < 0.05. Results: Out of 384 samples collected, 204 were found to be positive for strongyles with an overall prevalence of 53.13%. Prevalence of strongyle species in equines was also estimated to be 53% and 53.3% for donkeys and horses, respectively. Accordingly, of the six risk factors considered, only three factors (age, management type, and body condition scores) were found to influence the occurrence of strongyle infection and to be statistically significant as well. Conclusions: The higher prevalence of equine strongyles in the present study might be suggestive of urgent and coordinated actions to be in place.
Publication Date: 2021-07-21 PubMed ID: 34336180PubMed Central: PMC8321758DOI: 10.1155/2021/9430824Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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This research examined the prevalence of Strongyle parasitic infection in horses and donkeys around Mekelle City in Ethiopia, and identified significant risk factors affecting this prevalence. The study found that more than half of the equines tested were infected and risk factors such as age, management type and body condition played a significant role.

Study Design and Methodology

  • The study adopted a cross-sectional design, conducted between November 2018 and April 2019, where the subjects of the research were horses and donkeys of all ages and both sexes.
  • A random selection of these animals was made from which faecal samples weighing about 25 grams were collected.
  • These samples were analyzed in the laboratory using a flotation technique to separate parasitic eggs from the faeces, and then a microscopic examination of these eggs was conducted to identify Strongyle species based on their morphological features.

Statistical Analysis

  • Pearson’s chi-square test was used to determine the existence of an association between the various risk factors and parasitic infection.
  • Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were also conducted to ascertain the strength and significance of associations between the identified risk factors.

Results

  • Of the 384 samples collected, 204 were found to be positive for strongyles, resulting in an overall prevalence of 53.13%.
  • The prevalence of strongyle species in equines was fairly similar for both donkeys and horses, estimated at 53% and 53.3% respectively.
  • Out of the six risk factors studied, only three – age, management type, and body condition scores – were found to have a statistically significant influence on the incidence of strongyle infection.

Conclusions

  • The high prevalence of equine strongyles observed in this study calls for immediate and coordinated efforts towards tackling this health issue among equines in and around Mekelle city.
  • The significant risk factors identified would be beneficially considered in the design and implementation of appropriate mitigation strategies.

Cite This Article

APA
Negash W, Erdachew Y, Dubie T. (2021). Prevalence of Strongyle Infection and Associated Risk Factors in Horses and Donkeys in and around Mekelle City, Northern Part of Ethiopia. Vet Med Int, 2021, 9430824. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9430824

Publication

ISSN: 2090-8113
NlmUniqueID: 101524203
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 2021
Pages: 9430824
PII: 9430824

Researcher Affiliations

Negash, Wossene
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Samara University, P.O. Box 132, Samara, Ethiopia.
Erdachew, Yosef
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Samara University, P.O. Box 132, Samara, Ethiopia.
Dubie, Teshager
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Samara University, P.O. Box 132, Samara, Ethiopia.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
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  2. Alemayehu MT, Abebe BK, Haile SM. Investigation of Strongyle Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Horses in and around Alage District, Ethiopia. J Parasitol Res 2022;2022:3935008.
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