Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among ruminants in north-central belt of Tamil Nadu: A coprological survey

Introduction

Gastrointestinal parasitic infections remain a significant challenge in livestock production systems globally, contributing to considerable economic losses through reduced weight gain, lower milk yield, and increased mortality (Radostits et al., 2007; Thrusfield, 2018) [7,12] . Ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep are particularly vulnerable to these infections, especially when reared under extensive or semi-intensive management conditions (Soulsby, 1982; Urquhart et al., 1996) [10,13] . Recent studies have confirmed the widespread occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites across different geographical regions, reinforcing their continued importance in veterinary health management (Rufino et al., 2024; Karimou et al., 2025) [9,3] . Understanding the epidemiology and distribution of these parasites is essential for designing effective control strategies and improving livestock productivity (Zajac & Conboy, 2012; Banwo et al., 2025) [15, 1] .

Materials and Methods

A total of 112 faecal samples, including 48 from cattle, 44 from goats, and 20 from sheep, were examined during July 2024 to January 2026 at Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Salem. Samples were examined using standard parasitological techniques such as flotation and sedimentation methods to identify eggs and oocysts of gastrointestinal parasites (Zajac & Conboy, 2012) [15] . The parasites were identified based on their morphological characteristics as described in standard veterinary parasitology manuals (Soulsby, 1982; Taylor et al., 2016) [10,11] .

Results

Overall Prevalence

Out of 112 samples examined, 27% were found to be positive for Strongyle spp., 4% for Toxocara vitulorum, 8% for Trichuris ovis, 7% for Moniezia spp., 9% for Amphistome spp., and 8% for Eimeria spp (Fig 1). These findings are consistent with previous reports indicating Strongyle spp. as the most prevalent gastrointestinal parasites in ruminants (Karthik, 2021; Ninditya et al., 2024) [4,5] .

Species-wise Prevalence Cattle (n = 48)

Out of the 48 samples examined, 14 cases (29.17%) were positive for Strongyle spp., 5 cases (10.42%) for Toxocara vitulorum, 5 cases (10.42%) for Moniezia spp., 4 cases (8.33%) for Amphistome spp., and 5 cases (10.42%) for Eimeria spp. The occurrence of Toxocara vitulorum in cattle corroborates earlier findings that indicate its host specificity in bovines (Soulsby, 1982; Taylor et al., 2016) [10,11] .

Goat (n = 44) Among the 44 samples examined, 11 cases (27.50%) were positive for Strongyle spp., 6 cases (15.00%) for Trichuris ovis, 2 cases (5.00%) for Moniezia spp., 4 cases (10.00%) for Amphistome spp., and 3 cases (7.50%) for Eimeria spp. Higher prevalence of Trichuris ovis in goats aligns with reports suggesting that browsing behavior influences parasite exposure (Pfukenyi et al., 2007; Banwo et al., 2025) [6,1] .

Sheep (n = 20)

Among the 20 samples examined, 4 cases (22.22%) were positive for Strongyle spp., 2 cases (11.11%) for Trichuris ovis, 1 case (5.56%) for Moniezia spp., 2 cases (11.11%) for Amphistome spp., and 1 case (5.56%) for Eimeria spp. The observed parasitic distribution in sheep is comparable with earlier and recent epidemiological studies (Rinaldi et al., 2007; Rufino-Moya et al., 2024) [8,9] . The species-wise parasite prevalence is depicted in Fig. 2.

Discussion

The present study indicates that Strongyle spp. infections are the most prevalent across all three animal species. This may be attributed to favorable environmental conditions for larval development and poor pasture management practices (Urquhart et al., 1996; Taylor et al., 2016) [13,11] . Similar dominance of Strongyle infections has been reported in multiple recent studies across different regions (Karthik, 2021; Ninditya et al., 2024) [4,5] . Amphistome infections were also relatively common, particularly in goats and sheep, suggesting possible exposure to intermediate hosts such as snails in grazing areas (Soulsby, 1982; González et al., 2025) [10,2] . The presence of Toxocara vitulorum exclusively in cattle aligns with its known host specificity and lifecycle characteristics (Taylor et al., 2016) [11] . Trichuris ovis infections were more prominent in goats and sheep, possibly due to differences in feeding behavior and grazing patterns (Pfukenyi et al., 2007) [6] . Eimeria spp. infections observed in all species indicate the widespread nature of coccidiosis, particularly under conditions of overcrowding and poor hygiene (Zajac & Conboy, 2012; Ussenbayev et al., 2025) [15,14] .

Conclusion

The study highlights a significant prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in livestock, with Strongyle spp. being the most dominant. The variation in parasite distribution among cattle, goats, and sheep emphasizes the need for species-specific parasite control programs. Regular deworming, improved pasture management, and better hygiene practices are recommended to reduce the parasitic burden (Thrusfield, 2018; Banwo et al., 2025) [7,1] .

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