Prevalence of Oesophagostomum among small ruminants slaughtered in Lira city abattoir.

Abstract

Oesophagostomum infection is one of the current constrains in animal production in Uganda. Its infestation of animal intestines significantly reduces farmers’ profit through weight loss and intestine condemnation. However, the prevalence and economic burden associated with Oesophagostomum remains unknown. This study's goal was to examine the occurrence of Oesophagostomum as well as the financial losses that resulted from the condemned intestines during slaughter in the abattoir in Lira City. This was a cross-sectional study done on 294 conveniently sampled goats and sheep slaughtered in Lira City abattoir. An observation checklist was used to gather the data, which was then input into Excel form, cleaned, and analyzed. The study included 294 animals, of which 67 (22.8%) animals were found to be infected with the worms whereas 227 (77.2%) animals were negative for the worms. 32 (10.9%) animal intestines were rejected because of infection with nodules. The small ruminants had a significantly different infection rate, with sheep having a higher infection rate than goats. (χ2 =3.996, p=0.046). Financial losses associated with animal intestines being condemned because they are infected by Oesophagostomum worms were estimated at 21.33 USD (78,045 Ugandan shillings) showing direct losses. This figure is far less than the ones obtained from similar studies conducted in other countries. However, numerous indirect losses are also caused by Oesophagostomum infections i.e. poor nutrient absorption and slowed growth rates in young ruminants leading to lower body weights, diminishing overall carcass weight thus affecting the economic viability of the animals. The total prevalence obtained is significantly more than that of a study carried out in Tanzania and Ethiopia; however this study found higher worm incidence in sheep in contrast to the one conducted in Ethiopia. The outcome of this study is less than one that was performed in Nigeria but agrees on sheep having higher incidence than goats. The varying prevalence rates could be attributed to the varying level of effectiveness of prevention, control mechanisms and feeding methods in the different countries. In conclusion, this study reveals that Oesophagostomum infection significantly impacts livestock production in Lira city, with a prevalence of 22.8% and an estimated economic loss of 78,045 Ugandan shillings due to intestine condemnation. To mitigate these losses, it is essential to implement effective parasite control strategies and improve animal management practices.