Prevalence and Diffusion of Gastrointestinal Parasite Infections in Swamp Water Buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis) Populations from Marshlands of Iraq

Azmi  Al-Jubury; Basim A.  Jarullah; Khawla B.N.  Al-Jassim; Methaq  Badran; Yasser S.  Mahmmod

doi:10.6000/1927-520X.2020.09.06

Authors

Azmi Al-Jubury Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Basim A. Jarullah Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thi-Qar, Thi-Qar Province, Iraq
Khawla B.N. Al-Jassim Central Animal Laboratory of Basra, Veterinary Hospital, Basra 61004, Basra Province, Iraq
Methaq Badran KPRRM limited, 71-75 Shelton Street, London, Greater London, WC2H 9JQ, UK
Yasser S. Mahmmod Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA-IRTA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/1927-520X.2020.09.06

Keywords:

Swamp buffaloes, epidemiology, endoparasites, gastrointestinal parasites, Bubalus bubalis, Marshes.

Abstract

Background and objectives: New information on the epidemiology of gastrointestinal (GI) parasite infection in water buffaloes is crucial for understanding their risk factors and transmission. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of GI parasites in buffaloes in the Marshland areas of southern Iraq, and (2) to evaluate the association of risk factors with the parasitic infections.

Materials and Methods: A total of 166 water buffaloes from the Marshland in the north of Basra (n=75), and Thi-Qar (n=91) provinces from November 2016 to April 2017 were enrolled. Fecal samples were collected and examined for the presence of helminth eggs and protozoal oocysts using sedimentation-flotation and centrifugal flotation techniques.

Results: The overall prevalence of infection in buffaloes was 82% (136/166), with the highest number of single parasite infection (64%), followed by those with double (29%) and triple (7%) parasite infections. The most frequently identified parasites were Fasciola spp. (23%, 39/166), Eimeria spp. (19%, 32/166), Toxocara vitulorum (13%, 21/166), Trichostrongylus spp. (12%, 20/166), and Oesophagostomum spp. (10%, 10/166). Moniezia spp. was the only identified cestode with a prevalence of (8%, 13/166). A significant association was reported between feeding type and parasitic infections with Eimeria spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Moniezia spp., Trichuris spp., and Ostertagia ostertagia.

Conclusion: The prevalence of GI parasitic infection in buffaloes raised in the Marshlands is high, indicating a high intensity of natural infection. The findings of this study imply an urgent need for the implementation of efficient control measures against parasitic infections in the Marshlands.

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