Gastro-intestinal nematodes of goats reared under communal small scale farming conditions in Botswana

Abstract

The study was carried out in goats reared under communal small scale farming conditions near Gaborone, Botswana, to evaluate two sample preparation methods for McMaster egg counting technique, determine worm egg counts (WEC), identify nematode genera by larval culture, and determine abomasal and intestinal worm counts. Goat faecal samples (n = 30) were collected, split, and paired for preparation by  either the simple method or the standard method and WEC was performed using the McMaster technique. The simple method resulted in significantly higher WEC than the standard method (p =0.04). The WEC of a cohort of goats from Modipane communal small scale farmers (n = 30) was found to be 995±229 eggs per gram (EPG). Larval culture of Modipane herds identified Trichostrongylus spp at 86 percent and Haemonchus spp, Ostertagia spp, Oesophagostomum spp, and Chabertia spp all occurring at less than 5 % each. Abomasal worm counts of two separate groups of goats at slaughter were found to be 110 ± 28 Haemonchus spp (n = 21) and 277 ± 129 Haemonchus spp (n = 30) in goats with WEC of 836 ± 236 EPG and 642 ± 120 EPG respectively. Intestinal worms were not found in the group (n = 30) that was tested for them. It was concluded that there is a significant worm burden among goats reared under communal small scale farming conditions in Botswana.

Keywords: Nematodes, McMaster technique, goats, abomasal worm count, worm burden