Haemoparasites in Cattle at Gbele Reserve, Upper West Region, Ghana

Abstract

Haemoparasitic diseases is one of the major challenges that hamper cattle production in Africa with their effect usually manifested in production losses, late maturity, weight loss, still birth and increased susceptibility to other diseases. Information on the burden of some haemoparasites in wildlife/livestock interface in Ghana is scanty in literature. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of haemoparasites in cattle at Gbele Reserve wildlife/livestock interface, Upper west region of Ghana. A total of 143 blood samples collected from four selected fringe communities namely Desima, Gbele, Wahabu and Sakalu were transported to Central Veterinary Laboratory at Pong-Tamale for analysis. Giemsa stained thin blood smears were examined for haemoparasites, and packed cell volume (PCV) for each sample was determined using Haematocrit method. Mean PCV value was 25% and 42% for infected and non-infected cattle respectively. An overall prevalence of haemoparasites was 2.8% for all samples examined. Village specific prevalence of 0.7%, 1.4%, 0.0% and 0.7% was recorded in cattle infected in Gbele, Desima, Sakalu and Wahabu respectively. The low prevalence of haemoparasites recorded was attributed to the earlier intervention by Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication campaign (PATTEC) project and the quarterly treatment regime employed by farmers. Babesia bovis and Anaplasma marginale were identified with prevalence of 2.1% and 0.7% respectively. The distribution of parasite based on sex was 2.1% for cows and 0.7% for bulls. Polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are recommended alongside with thin blood smear examination in future studies for better sensitivity and identification of the haemoparasites to species level.