Abomasal nematode parasites in goats slaughtered in Mekelle town, northern Ethiopia

Infection with abomasal nematodes, especially haemonchosis, is one of the most important problems challenging small ruminant production in the tropics. This study was carried out to identify nematodes infecting the abomasa, and estimate their prevalence and count in goats slaughtered in Mekelle town, northern Ethiopia. A total of 166 abomasa of goats were examined for postmortem differential adult nematode parasites count using standard procedure. Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrogylus axei were recovered from 126 (75.9%) and 109 (65.7%) abomasa, respectively. It was noted that 152 (91.6%) goats harbored at least one of the parasites, while 83 (50%) goats were found infected with both parasites. Mean and maximum adult worm counts were 39.2 and 270 and 55.2 and 600 for Haemonchus spp. and T. axei, respectively. Months of the year had significant (p<0.05) effect on prevalence and adult worm count in both species of parasites identified. The adult worm count and prevalence were relatively high in February for Haemonchus spp. and in December for T. axei. The high prevalence of these economically important parasites in goats in the dry season may entail insidious losses they could incur in the productivity of goats in the study area.Keywords: Abomasal nematodes; Ethiopia; Goat; Haemonchus; Trichostrogylus axei