Author(s):

Anyaegbunam, Lucy C., Obi, Zita. C., Ezeoke Chinasa M.

Abstract: Local goats (Capra hircus) in two farms in Onitsha were assessed for ectoparasitosis and endoparasites. 100 goats were sampled randomly with the permission of their owners for the study. Goat rearing is one of the major occupations of the rural settlers. Though the goats are semi-scavenging in habit, they co-habit with their owners. In parasite examination, ectoparasites were investigated on the furs, beneath the skin with the help of brush, scalpel and handlens. The parasites recovered were; Damalinia limbata (14.0%),Ixodes ricinus (11.5%), Demodex bovis (25.8%), Culiseta longiareolata (39.3%), andCtenocephalides canis (9.4%). For endoparasites, 5 gm of fresh faecal matter of each sampled goat was examined following direct wet mount technique. The parasites observed were as follows; Haemonchus contortus (10.1%), Teladorsagia circumcincta (11.7%),Trichuris spp (19.7%), Moniezia spp (24.3%) and Nematodirus (34.2%). In age related infection, older goats (>7months) were highly infested with 20–30% ectoparasites and 38.8–46.1% endoparasites. Predilection sites for ectoparasite infestations were mostly the abdominal sections, chest, limbs and back with 74 ectoparasite infestation on average. The findings in this work suggest that the study area has high parasite infestation for livestock. This demands for public awareness to the goat farmers on the dangers of parasitaemia and to guard human health which is also at risk.

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