Prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths of small ruminants subjected to traditional livestock management system in Gadau district, Bauchi state Nigeria

Abstract

Globally, parasitic diseases are one of serious concerns in production and management of livestock. African climate and other environmental factors constitute a favorable condition for the growth of gastrointestinal parasites in animals. This research work was aimed at assessment of prevalence of parasites infesting gastrointestinal tracks of goats and sheep at Gadau District, Northern Nigeria. The results reveal the overall prevalence of 42.7% gastrointestinal parasites in both goats and sheep in the study area. It indicates that sheep were less infected with gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes than the goats. It also revealed that the degree of incidence of gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes infection varies among the age, sex and species of small ruminants in the study area, due to the management system for the small ruminants.