Preliminary study of nematode infections of cattle in the six provinces of Thailand in the dry season

Helminth Infections in Cattle and Goats in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, with Focus on Strongyle Nematode Infections

Gastrointestinal helminths are major enteric parasites affecting the health of important livestock ruminants, such as cattle and goats. It is important to routinely survey these animals for helminth infections to allow effective management and control programs to be implemented. A cross-sectional helminth survey carried out in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, revealed the infection rate of gastrointestinal helminths in cattle (n = 157) and goats (n = 117) to be 35.7% and 88%, respectively, by microscopic fecal examination, and a 100% herd prevalence was observed in goats. Eggs of strongyle nematodes, Strongyloides spp., Trichuris spp., Capillaria spp., Paramphistomum spp., and Moniezia spp. were detected, with a relatively high rate of strongyle nematode infection in both cattle (28.7%) and goats (86.3%). Mixed infections were observed in 14.3% and 35.9% of egg-positive samples from cattle and goats, respectively. Risk factor analysis showed that dairy cattle were 5.1 times more likely to be infected with strongyles than meat cattle. In contrast, meat goats were 9.3 times more likely to be infected with strongyles than dairy goats. The inverse findings in cattle and goats are discussed. Female gender was associated with a higher risk of strongyle infection in goats. DNA sequencing and in-house semi-nested PCR with primers specific to a region in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) were successfully used to identify strongyle genera in randomly selected egg-positive cattle (n = 24) and goat (n = 24) samples. Four strongyle genera, i.e., Cooperia spp., Haemonchus spp., Oesophagostomum spp., and Trichostrongylus spp. were identified by DNA sequencing. By semi-nested PCR, Cooperia spp. were detected as a major parasite of cattle (70.8%), whereas Haemonchus spp. were abundant in goats (100%). The majority of samples from cattle (58.3%) and goats (95.8%) were found to coinfect with at least two strongyle genera, suggesting that coinfection with multiple strongyle genera was more common than single infection in these animals.

A preliminary survey of gastrointestinal and haemoparasites of beef cattle in the tropical livestock farming system in Nan Province, northern Thailand

Parasitism is a primary cause of production losses in most cattle-producing countries of the world, including Thailand. A cross-sectional study was designed to determine baseline data on the prevalence of gastrointestinal and haemoparasites of beef cattle in Nan Province, northern Thailand and to investigate the factors associated with the prevalence of parasitic infections. A total of 207 faecal and 162 blood samples were collected during the summer of 2005. The basic data of management were recorded, including the number of animals on the farm or in the village, major animal health problems, deworming programme and veterinary service. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections was 61% (126/207). The most common helminth infections in this study were rumen flukes 28% (58), followed by strongyles 27% (55), and the rest were due to Strongyloides 1% (2) and Trichuris 1% (2). The common protozoan infections were Buxtonella cysts 2% (5) and coccidia oocysts 2% (4). Of the 162 blood samples examined, 50% (81) contained Theileria sp., 2% (4) trypanosome, and 1% (1) microfilariae. The high rate of parasitic infections in these areas might be related to the poor management by the farmers, such as sharing the same grazing pasture.