Prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes in growing pigs in Kabale District in Uganda

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 567 - 572
• Main Authors: Nissen, Sofie, Poulsen, Idahella H, Nejsum, Peter, Olsen, Annette, Roepstorff, Allan, Rubaire-Akiiki, C, Thamsborg, Stig M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.03.2011; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Husbandry - methods; Animals; anthelmintics; Antiparasitic agents; Ascaris suum; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chi-Square Distribution; deworming; disease prevalence; Eggs; excretion; farmers; feces; Feces - parasitology; Female; floors; gastrointestinal nematodes; Gastrointestinal tract; Households; Hyostrongylus rubidus; income; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - epidemiology; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - parasitology; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - veterinary; Life Sciences; Male; Nematoda; Nematoda - growth & development; nematode infections; Nematode Infections - epidemiology; Nematode Infections - parasitology; Nematode Infections - veterinary; Nematode prevalence; Nematodes; Oesophagostomum; Oesophagostomum spp; Original Research; Parasite Egg Count - veterinary; Parasites; Pig management; Prevalence; rearing; rectum; Rural areas; rural communities; Rural Population; Slotted floors; Small farms; Small-scale farming; Spiruroids; Strongylidae; Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - parasitology; Swine production; Trichuris suis; Uganda; Uganda - epidemiology; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology; Uganda; Nematode prevalence; Uganda; spp; Pig management; Spiruroids
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-010-9732-x

During the last 30 years, pig production in Uganda and neighbouring counties has increased markedly. Pigs are mainly kept as a source of income for small-scale farmers; however, the pig production is subject to several constraints, one of them being worm infections. A study was carried out in rural communities in Kabale District in the South Western part of Uganda in September and October 2007 in order to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode parasites in pigs based on coprological examination. Fifty-six households were randomly selected and visited. Housing system and deworming history were recorded. Faeces was sampled from rectum of one to five pigs (age, 3-12 months) per household. A total of 106 pigs were examined coprologically of which 91% excreted nematode eggs. The following prevalences of nematode eggs were recorded: strongyles (89%), Ascaris suum (40%), Trichuris suis (17%) and spiruroid eggs (48%). On household level, rearing pigs on slatted floors in pens significantly reduced the faecal egg excretion of strongyle eggs with almost 80% (p = 0.010) and a significant interaction between floor type and anthelmintic treatment was found for spiruroids (p = 0.037). Fifteen T. suis egg positive pigs were selected for post-mortem examination of the gastrointestinal tract. The post-mortem examinations revealed that 93% pigs were infected with Oesophagostomum spp. (worm burden, min-max 10-2,180), 73% with A. suum (1-36), 67% with T. suis (6-58), and 20% with Hyostrongylus rubidus (worms not quantified). In general, nematode infections were widespread and polyparasitism common in pigs in Uganda. However, worm burdens were moderate which may be related to recent deworming or to the practice of rearing pigs on slatted floors in wooden elevated pens.