Sheep’s gastrointestinal helminth infection at several districts in North Sumatra

Abstract High adaptability to the environment is an important reason for the farmer to raise sheep, one of which is the adaptation of sheep to parasite attack infections. Infection of nematode parasite is commonly found in the digestive tracts of sheep. The purpose of this activity is to investigate the gastrointestinal helminth infection in sheep in five districts in North Sumatra. This research was conducted in December 2019 to February 2020 by collecting sheep feces in the districts of Batu Bara, Labuhan Batu Utara, Asahan, Serdang Bedagai and Deli Serdang, North Sumatra. The number of eggs in stool were examined (eggs g−1) as a method of Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT). The results showed that there was no difference in number eggs g−1 of stool in sheep that were kept with intensive and semi-intensive systems. The effect of sex, body weight and age of the sheep also showed no difference in the number of eggs g−1 of their faeces. However, the results showed that the number of sheep’s worm eggs g−1 of stool from Labuhan Batu Utara district was higher (P <0.05) when compared to other areas, which was 73.33 eggs g−1 of feces. Whereas the sheep in Deli Serdang showed the lowest number of worm eggs (P <0.05) which was 23.33 eggs g−1 of feces. In all study locations, Haemonchus contortus eggs were found in sheep feces indicates gastrointestinal heminth parasite infected sheep in those areas.