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Rufino-Moya PJ, Zafra Leva R, Gonçalves Reis L, Acosta García I, Ruiz Di Genova D, Sánchez Gómez A, García García F, Martínez-Moreno FJ. Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Small Ruminant Farms in Southern Spain. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1668. [PMID: 38891715 PMCID: PMC11171202 DOI: 10.3390/ani14111668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The primary population of small ruminants in Spain is concentrated in the southern region, a critical area for the country's livestock production. Indirect economic losses can occur when this livestock is affected by gastrointestinal parasites. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of these parasites in small ruminant herds (159 sheep and 39 goats) through coprological analyses and conducted a survey on farmers' management practices related to gastrointestinal parasite control. The survey results revealed some important aspects: monitoring through coprological analyses is not a common practice; veterinarians are not typically involved in deworming plans; anthelmintic treatment in adults is often applied twice a year in sheep and once a year in goats; and finally, drug rotation was higher in sheep farms. Coprological analyses showed Eimeria spp. as the most common parasitic infection, followed by Strongyles infection. Other parasites like Moniezia spp., Trichuris spp., and D. dendriticum were less important, although their prevalence was higher in sheep than goats. This constitutes the first report on the epidemiological status of gastrointestinal parasites in small ruminants in southern Spain. Based on the survey findings, the introduction of certain management measures on farms could potentially mitigate parasite infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo José Rufino-Moya
- Animal Health Department (Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Sanidad Animal Building, Rabanales Campus, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (P.J.R.-M.); (L.G.R.); (I.A.G.); (F.J.M.-M.)
| | - Rafael Zafra Leva
- Animal Health Department (Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Sanidad Animal Building, Rabanales Campus, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (P.J.R.-M.); (L.G.R.); (I.A.G.); (F.J.M.-M.)
| | - Lilian Gonçalves Reis
- Animal Health Department (Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Sanidad Animal Building, Rabanales Campus, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (P.J.R.-M.); (L.G.R.); (I.A.G.); (F.J.M.-M.)
| | - Isabel Acosta García
- Animal Health Department (Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Sanidad Animal Building, Rabanales Campus, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (P.J.R.-M.); (L.G.R.); (I.A.G.); (F.J.M.-M.)
| | - Diego Ruiz Di Genova
- COVAP (Cooperativa Ganadera del Valle de los Pedroches) R&D Department, Pozoblanco, 14400 Córdoba, Spain; (D.R.D.G.); (A.S.G.); (F.G.G.)
| | - Almudena Sánchez Gómez
- COVAP (Cooperativa Ganadera del Valle de los Pedroches) R&D Department, Pozoblanco, 14400 Córdoba, Spain; (D.R.D.G.); (A.S.G.); (F.G.G.)
| | - Francisco García García
- COVAP (Cooperativa Ganadera del Valle de los Pedroches) R&D Department, Pozoblanco, 14400 Córdoba, Spain; (D.R.D.G.); (A.S.G.); (F.G.G.)
| | - Francisco J. Martínez-Moreno
- Animal Health Department (Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Sanidad Animal Building, Rabanales Campus, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (P.J.R.-M.); (L.G.R.); (I.A.G.); (F.J.M.-M.)
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Sodi I, Martini M, Salari F, Perrucci S. Gastrointestinal Parasite Infections and Environmental Sustainability of the Ovine Sector: Eimeria spp. Infections and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Excretions in Dairy Sheep in Italy. Pathogens 2023; 12:1459. [PMID: 38133342 PMCID: PMC10746012 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In sheep farming, gastrointestinal parasites can be responsible for significant reductions in animal health and production. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fecal excretions are the main determining factors for N2O emissions from manure management and may pose other environmental problems, such as the acidification and eutrophication of natural habitats. By using the Mini-FLOTAC technique on fecal samples from sheep of different ages and physiological status from 19 dairy sheep farms in Tuscany (central Italy), gastrointestinal parasite infections were evaluated. The animal N and P fecal contents were also assessed, with the aim of evaluating possible relationships between the identified parasites and the environmental sustainability of the examined farms. The obtained results showed that Eimeria spp. (86.36%) and gastrointestinal strongyle (54.55%) infections are prevalent in the examined farms. Moreover, significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) P and Eimeria oocyst/gram-of-feces (OPG) values were found in fecal samples from animals < 1 year of age, and a significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlation resulted between N content and Eimeria OPG in fecal samples from animals in the first month of lactation. The findings from this study suggest for the first time that Eimeria spp. infections may have an impact on the environmental sustainability of sheep farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sodi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (I.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Mina Martini
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (I.S.); (M.M.)
- Research Center Nutraceuticals and Food for Health, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Federica Salari
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (I.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Stefania Perrucci
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (I.S.); (M.M.)
- Research Center Nutraceuticals and Food for Health, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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