Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November, 2018 to April, 2019 in and around Debre Birhan town with the objectives of determining the prevalence of ovine lungworm infection in sheep, identifying the species of the lungworm circulating in the area and assessing possible risk factors of lungworm infection in sheep in the study area. From 300 fecal samples collected, 93 (31%) were found to be positive for ovine lungworm by modified Bearmann technique. Out of the 93 (31%) ovine lungworm, 60(20%) were infected by Dictyocaulus filaria, 15(5.33%) were by Muellerius capillaries, 10(3.33%) were by dictyocaulus filaria and Muellerius capillaries and 7 (2.33%) were Protostrongylus rufescens. Among the potential risk factors, management system (X² = 10.335, P = 0.001), body condition (X² = 13.392, P = 0.001), breed types (X² = 9.808, P = 0.007) and deworming (X² =10.777, P = 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of ovine lungworm infection. The highest prevalence of ovine lungworm infection was found in sheep with poor body condition 47(43.1%). The prevalence of lungworms in extensive and semi-intensive managements system was 37.9% and 20.3% respectively. The prevalence of lungworms in dewormed and non-dewormed sheep, were found to be 19.6% and 37.8%, respectively. On the other hand, age (X² = 1.26, P = 0.533) and sex (X² = 0.196, P = 0.658) were not statistically significant with the occurrence of the lungworm infection in this study. Therefore, due to its great impact on production of sheep in general as a country, emphasis should be given to regular and strategic de-worming to control and prevent parasitic infection and further study should be conducted in future to identify the temporal pattern of ovine lungworm infection.

Keywords: Debre Birhan; Fecal Examination; Prevalence; Lungworm; Risk Factors; Sheep

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