Prevalence of the helminthic parasitism on cattle in Ituri (Haut-Zaire). II. Parasitic associations

Abstract

A total of 781 cattle was examined at the Bunia slaughterhouse (Ituri) from August 1986 to December 1987 to study the following parasitic associations: Fasciola sp., Schistosoma sp., paramphistomes and Fasciola sp., Haemonchus sp., Oesophagostomum sp. Prevalences were high for each parasite: 96.5 % for paramphistomes, 58.1 % for Schistosoma sp., 58.7 to 61.9 % for Fasciola sp., 90.5 % for Haemonchus sp. and 75.5 % for Oesophagostomum sp. Regarding the association with trematodes, 41.3 % of the 516 examined animals were simultaneously positive for the three helminths and there was a significant relationship between the infection with Fasciola sp. And Schistosoma sp. Regarding the association with Fasciola sp., Haemonchus sp. and Oesophagastomum sp., a total of 44.5 % of the 265 examined animals harboured the three parasites together, but infections seemed not to be linked. Moreover, the corresponding gross lesions were moderate suggesting a low level of the parasitic burdens.