Occurrence of African Animal Trypanosomosis in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Occurrence of African animal trypanosomosis among cattle, sheep and goats reared in some communities in Igabi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Nigeria was investigated. About 5 ml of blood sample was collected from the jugular vein of each animal into Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) bottles to prevent clotting. Wet, thin, thick films, animal inoculation, haematocrit centrifugation and buffy coat methods were used to detect trypanosomes in the blood samples. Anemic status of the animals was also determined by packed cell volume (PCV) method. Overall, 278 ruminants comprising 170 cattle, 88 goats and 20 sheep were examined. Of the 278 blood samples collected 41(14.75%) were positive for trypanosomes made up of 22(12.9%) cattle, 2(10.1%) sheep and 17(19.0%) goats. Trypanosoma vivax at 36(12.90%) occurrence constituted the highest number of trypanosoma species encountered, while 5(1.79%) was recorded for T. congolense. None of the animals examined harbored Trypanosoma brucei group. Other haemoparasites encountered included Babesia spp, Anaplasma spp and onchocerca microfilaria observed mainly in cattle. Mean PCV of infected cattle, goats and sheep were 20.33±3.31, 20.29±2.40 and 19.40±2.19 respectively. The detection of trypanosome species in this study is an indication that the disease is still endemic in the study area and could be of economic and public health importance.