Internal parasites and health management of pigs in Burayu District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Parasites burden in peri-urban free-roaming pigs in Gert Sibande District Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

BACKGROUND

Parasite infections, unlike regulated animal diseases, do not often receive attention. In fact, parasites are major sources of financial losses in pig enterprises, particularly in subsistence and small-scale pig production systems.

OBJECTIVE

To identify and quantify the prevalence of ecto- and endo-parasites among peri-urban free-roaming pigs (FRP) in Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM), Mpumalanga.

METHODS

Pig owners were identified using the snowball sampling method since no sampling frame for FRP farmers exists. Stratified sampling was used to select pigs for sampling for ecto- and endo-parasites. A form was used to record the observations. Pairwise correlation analysis was performed using Stata 15.0. The SPSS V28.0 statistical package was used to perform the chi-square test (X2) to assess the distribution of parasites in different age groups. The prevalence of parasites was assessed in different age groups of pigs using multi-response crosstabs. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to estimate the marginal mean of parasites according to municipality. Statistical significance was assessed at α ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS

Over 90% (91.2%) of the pigs examined were infested with at least one parasite, including Haematopinus suis, Sarcoptes scabiei, Ascaris suum, Fasciola hepatica, Trichuris suis, Strongylids, Coccidia spp, Moniezia expansa, and Siphonaptera spp. The correlation between Ascaris suum and body condition was weak but statistically significant (r = 0.24; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Policy makers, animal researchers and veterinary services must focus on developing policies, risk communication and community engagement materials, which target pig farmers in peri-urban areas such as Gert Sibande District Municipality, Mpumalanga Province.

Family-Run Pig Farms: Research and Extension Activities for Parasite Control in a Municipality in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The parasites infesting pigs and pig farmers on family farms in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, were analyzed, and extension activities were carried out to impart information about parasites. Between 2020 and 2021, fecal samples were collected from 180 pigs as well as ear scrapings from 142 pigs. In addition, 34 stool specimens from farmers and their families were analyzed. The collected material was processed by parasitological techniques. Parasites were detected in 86.1% of the pigs, forms of phylum Ciliophora (70.5%), strongylids (56.7%), Strongyloides ransomi (44.4%), coccidia (38.3%) and Ascaris suum (32.2%). Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis were identified in 3.5% of the pigs. An analysis of infections by age group revealed that the general frequency of phylum Ciliophora and strongylid parasites was statistically significant. Other factors also associated with the frequency of the parasites included the type of food fed to the pigs, cleaning of the facilities, care of piglets and type of facility. The frequency of intestinal parasites of farmers themselves was low; however, the high rate of parasite infections detected in pigs highlighted the precarious conditions of hygiene of the farms. Lastly, the farmers’ participation in extension activities was a step forward in actions to improve their farm management.

Globocephalus urosubulatus (Alessandrini, 1909) (Nematoda: Ancylostomatidae) in Brazil: a morphological revisitation

Helminthiasis occurs frequently in wild or domestic pigs in the most varied environments or production systems; however, the literature includes few taxonomic studies for the purpose of expanding this knowledge about the parasitic diversity in these animals. Thus, in order to expand this knowledge regarding parasitic diversity in these animals, the present study reports the occurrence and redescribes Globocephalus urosubulatus infecting domestic pigs in the state of Pará, Brazil, using microscopy. Four hundred and ten specimens of Sus scrofa intestinal nematodes were collected extensively in the municipality of Moju, northeastern mesoregion of Pará and observed under light and scanning electron microscopy. Based on morphological characteristics, the nematodes were identified as G. urosubulatus, and new morphological data were added by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for the diagnosis of this parasite.

A SURVEY FOR ZOONOTIC AND OTHER GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES IN PIG IN BALI PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Pigs have potentially to transmit zoonotic gastrointestinal parasite disease both caused by protozoa and worm. The aim of this study was to identify gastrointestinal parasites that were potentially zoonotic in pigs in the province of Bali. A total of 100 fresh feces samples was collected from several pig farms in Bali, from Badung and Tabanan districts, each consisted of 50 samples. Pig feces samples were examined for the presence of eggs worms, cysts and oocysts for protozoa based on the morphology and size. Identification for protozoa and worms used native, sedimentation and sucrose flotation methods. Parameters measured were sex, feed and cage management. The result showed that the characteristic parameters for pigs in both district were generally female. Cage management for raising pigs mostly used group cage. Feed that provided in both district mostly used bran and concentrate. All of 100 pig feces samples that examined positive for parasites. There were 8 types of gastrointestinal parasites that have been identified. Four types of protozoa found were Entamoeba sp. (99%), Balantidium sp. (79%), Eimeria sp. (78%), Blastocystis sp. (69%) and four types of worms were Ascaris sp. (20%), Trichuris sp. (20%), Strongyloides sp. (19%), and Oesophagostomum sp. (8%). All pigs were infected with two or more parasites. The prevalence of parasitic gastrointestinal infections was different for each district, six genera (Entamoeba sp., Balantidium sp., Blastocystis sp., Eimeria sp., Oesophagostomum sp. and Trichuris sp.)  were higher found in Tabanan district and the two genera (Ascaris sp. and Strongyloides sp.) were higher in Badung district. Oesophagostomum sp. was only found to infect pigs in Tabanan district. The conclusion is gastrointestinal parasites that found in pigs at Badung and Tabanan district Bali Province mostly have zoonotic potential.

Piloting the effectiveness of pig health education in combination with oxfendazole treatment on prevention and/or control of porcine cysticercosis, gastrointestinal parasites, African swine fever and ectoparasites in Angónia District, Mozambique

A community-based intervention combining health education (HE) and treatment of pigs for control of porcine cysticercosis (PC), gastrointestinal (GI) helminths, African swine fever (ASF) and external parasites was tested involving six villages of resource-poor smallholder pig farmers. Farmers and pigs of six rural villages were randomly allocated into group 1 (HE), which served as controls, and group 2 (HE + OFZ) pigs received a single oral dose of 30 mg/kg OFZ. Farmers were trained in pig health, housing and feeding. The proportion of farmers with confined pigs, the adoption rate of the introduced pig pen, the sero-prevalence of PC and ASF, the prevalence and intensity of GI nematodes and the prevalence of ectoparasites were measured at 9, 15 and 24 months after initiation and compared to a baseline survey to seek the effectiveness of the interventions. There was no clear effect of the intervention on the sero-prevalence of PC, but analysis of the rate of change in prevalence between the two groups showed significant effect with the rate of change to lower prevalence in the HE + OFZ group compared to the HE group. Although HE managed to improve the farmer's knowledge in the control and prevention of ASF and ectoparasites, there was no significant reduction in the sero-prevalence of ASF and the prevalence of ectoparasites throughout the two-year period. The reported ineffectiveness of the intervention in this study suggested that more research is needed to develop more effective methods for controlling PC, ASF and pig parasites.

Prevalence and risk factors of endo- and ectoparasitic infections in smallholder pigs in Angónia district, Mozambique

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of parasitic infections in pigs kept under smallholder farming system in Angónia district, Tete Province, Mozambique. A total of 262 pigs from 133 households of six villages were randomly selected. From each pig blood, faecal samples, full body searches, and skin scrapings were conducted to determine the prevalence of Taenia solium (using Ag-ELISA), gastrointestinal (GI) parasites, and ectoparasites respectively. A questionnaire survey was administered to smallholder pig farmers to assess their knowledge and perceptions of health and pig management and an observational study was conducted to determine their pig management practices. The overall prevalence of porcine cysticercosis by Ag-ELISA was 12.6%, GI nematodes 21.4%, Eimeria spp. 8.0% and ectoparasites 37.8%. Four helminths species namely, Metastrongylus spp., Hyostrongylus spp., Oesophagostomum spp., Trichostrongylus spp., were identified from by copro culture, and through faecal egg count, Ascaris suum and Trichuris suis were identified. Haematopinus suis, Rhipicephalus spp. and Echidnophaga gallinacea were found with a prevalence of 32.4%, 7.6%, and 6.9%, respectively. The only significant risk factor identified to be related to the parasite prevalence was pig origin (village), for both gastrointestinal parasites (OR=10.81[0.81-57.27]) and ectoparasites (OR=7.06[1.42-35.03]). This study provided evidence that parasitic infections in pigs constitute a major burden for smallholder pig farmers in Angónia district, and that porcine cysticercosis is a public health threat in the area and immediate attention is needed for control and prevention of the parasite.

Parasites of pigs in two farms with poor husbandry practices in Bishoftu, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2011 to April 2012 on a total of 384 pigs from two privately owned intensive farms in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. The objectives of the study were to identify and determine the prevalence of common parasites of pigs. For the determination of gastrointestinal (GIT) parasites, faecal samples were collected from the study animals and subjected to standard parasitological examination techniques. Physical examination was conducted for the presence of skin parasitic lesions and skin scrapings were collected to determine prevalence of ectoparasites. The overall prevalence of GIT parasites in the pigs was 25% (96/384). Examination of faecal samples revealed the ova or oocysts of four different gastrointestinal parasites, namely Coccidia (12%), Strongyles (5.2%), Ascaris suum (4.9%) and Trichuris suis (2.9%). Mixed infection by at least two parasite species was observed in 3.65% (14/384) of the pigs. The only ectoparasite species identified was Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis, with a prevalence of 2.6%. This study indicates that pig parasites are a major problem in the study area, hence implementation of strategic control measures and appropriate hygienic management systems are recommended to reduce the prevalence of parasites.