Co-infection of <i>Fasciola</i> and <i>Dicrocoelium</i> in gall-bladder of cows butchered in Ibadan abattoir, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Fascioliasis and Dicrocoeliasis are significant helminthic diseases of ruminants, especially livestock. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, intensity and co-infection rate of Fasciola and Dicrocoelium species inside livestock butchered in Ibadan abattoir, Oyo State, Nigeria. 2100 gall-bladders were collected from the and inward substances macroscopically examined for adults and egg parasite prevalence. Adult parasites examined macroscopically while the bile sedimentation technique was used in determining the presence of parasite ova and the eggs were examined under the microscope. Data were analysed using statistical tools and the association between variables were done using t-test, and oneway Anova was used to compare the means of variables. Both adults and eggs of F. gigantica and D. hospes were recovered from the samples with the overall prevalence being 76.0%. Only 25 (25.0%) samples had a single infection of F. gigantica and 20 (20.0%) had D. hospes. Mixed infection was observed in 31.1% of the examined samples. The overall prevalence of each parasite revealed 56.0% and 50.0% for F. gigantica and D. hospes, respectively. The overall intensity (mean) of eggs was 1126 (11.26±20.08) eggs per 2ml of bile. The intensity of F. gigantica recorded 1010 (10.09±17.50) and D. hospes recorded 116 (1.22±2.46) eggs per 2ml of bile. This study gives the current state of rearing animals amid existing  government efforts to improve animal productivity and reduction in economic loss. Cattle deworming should be practised regularly. Furthermore, the improved method should be employed for the determination of the current status of Fasciola in co-infection with
Dicrocoelium and other helminth parasites of cattle in Oyo State.

Keywords: Co-infection; Amosun abattoir; Gall-bladder; Cattle slaughtered; D. hospes