Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Ectoparasite of Sheep and Goat in Yeki district in Southwestern Ethiopia - Abstract
Ectoparasitesare a serious pathogens sheep and goat industry that cause a significant negative impact in tanning industry and economic growth in Ethiopia. A cross sectional study was conducted in Yeki district, Southwestern Ethiopia to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of Ectoparasites in sheep and goats from December 2016 to December 2017. A total of 500 small ruminants (321 sheep and 179 goats) were randomly selected and examined for the presence of ectoparasites. The prevalence of Ectoparasites in sheep and goats was (76.6%) and (79.9%) respectively. The overall prevalence of ectoparasites was 77.8% (389/500) in the study areas. The infestation of ectoparasites was highest due to tick (37.8%) followed by fleas (34.4%) and lice (31.2%) with mixed infestation (23.8%) being the least in the area. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified sex, age groups and body condition of sheep and goats as risk factors (P<0.05) for ectoparasites in the study area. However, there were no statistically significant differences observed between species and peasant associations in sheep and goats (P> 0.05). The study shows that ectoparasites are one of the constraints to sheep and goats production instudy area. Hence, there is a need to create awareness about impact of parasite on sheep and goats production, and appropriate control methods for ectoparasites should be designed and implemented.