The Prevalence of Mange Infestations in Small Ruminants in Three Agro-Ecological Zones of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study of small ruminant’s mange mites was conducted in the three agro-ecological zones of Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia from November 2011-April 2012. The study aimed to determine the mange mite prevalence and to identify the main species infesting small ruminants. A total of 300 small ruminants (155 goats and 145 sheep) were examined for mange mite infestation, by using simple random sampling method. From these, 14 animals (9 goats with the prevalence of 5.8% and 5 sheep with the prevalence of 3.45%) were positive for mange mites with the overall prevalence of 4.67%. The species of mange mites identified in the current study were Sarcoptes (2.67%), Demodex (1.33%), and mixed ( Sarcoptes and Demodex) 0.67%. The prevalence of Sarcoptes was higher in goats and in lowland than in sheep and midlands and highlands. However, the prevalence of mange mites across risk factors like agro-ecology, sex, species, age group, body conditions and body sites was not statistically significantly different (p>0.05). Keywords: Agro-ecology, Goat, Mite, Prevalence, Sheep, Wolaita.