Author(s):
Pereira, Maria Aires ; Vila-Viçosa, Maria João ; Coelho, Catarina ; Santos, Carla ; Esteves, Fernando ; Cruz, Rita ; Gomes, Liliana ; Henriques, Diogo ; Vala, Helena ; Nóbrega, Carmen ; Mega, Ana Cristina ; Melo, Carolina de ; Malva, Madalena ; Braguez, Joana ; Mateus, Teresa Letra
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/173126
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Subject(s): Dictyocaulus filaria; goat; lungworm infection; Muellerius capillaris; Protostrongylidae; risk factors; sheep; Animal Science and Zoology; veterinary(all)
Description
Funding Information: This work was supported by Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia via funds to GHTM-UID/04413/2020 and LA-REAL\u2014LA/P/0117/2020; CITAB UIDB/04033/2020, https://doi.org/10.54499 ; CERNAS UIDB/00681/2020; CISAS UIDB/05937/2020; UIDP/05937/2020; as well as through the Projeto de Igni\u00E7\u00E3o e Provas de Conceito INOVC+ (PIPC/003/2022_02) cofounded by Centro 2020, Portugal 2020 and EU through IPV. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
The production of small ruminant autochthonous breeds in the Centre region of Portugal is practiced in a semi-extensive husbandry system, exposing animals to parasitic infections. The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of lungworm infection and identify risk factors. Fecal samples of 203 goats and 208 sheep from 30 herds were collected per rectum and subjected to the modified Baermann test. The overall prevalence of infection was 57.7%, significantly higher in goats (95.6%) than in sheep (20.7%) (p < 0.001). According to the binary logistic regression model, sheep dewormed with albendazole, mebendazole plus closantel, or ivermectin plus clorsulon presented a risk of Protostrongylidae infection 29.702, 7.426, or 8.720 times higher, respectively, than those dewormed with eprinomectin. Additionally, the presence of gastrointestinal parasites was investigated in 307 fecal samples using Mini-FLOTAC®. The overall prevalence of infection was 86.3%, also significantly higher in goats (93.2%) than in sheep (79.9%) (p < 0.001). Strongyle-type eggs were the most frequently identified, both in sheep (69.8%) and goats (87.8%), followed by Eimeria oocysts (40.3% in sheep and 68.9% in goats). Considering the high prevalence and the burden of lungworm parasitic infection, it is urgent to determine its economic impact and the repercussions in animal health in the Centre region of Portugal to establish appropriate therapeutic guidelines.
