Veterinary Science & Technology

Prevalence of Bovine Trypanosomosis in Dembecha Woreda Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Demelash Mekonnen, Amare Eshetu and Tesfaheywet Zeryehun

This study was conducted in Dembecha Woreda of Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia. The study was carried out on 384 indigenous cattle kept in mixed crop-livestock production system to estimate the prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis and associated risk factors. The study employed parasitological survey (buffy coat examination) and hematological study (packed cell volume [PCV] and thin blood smear). In the present study, the overall prevalence of trypanosomosis was 8.6% (33/384). Trypanosoma congolense (54.54%) and Trypanosome vivax (45.45%) were the only two species of Trypanosomas encountered in the study area. Among the risk factors, sex and age were found to have no significant association with the prevalence of trypanosomosis (p>0.05), but body condition and coat color of animals were found to have a significant association (p<0.05) with prevalence of trypanosomosis in the studied animals. In this study infected animals were with mean PCV value of 22.94 ± 2.70% which is significantly lower (p<0.05) than that of the non-infected animals (27.24 ± 5.02%). The study concluded that Trypanosomosis being an economically important disease in cattle the 8.6% prevalence entail that more attention should be given to be adapting on integrated disease control strategy including the vector as well as the parasites.