The present study was performed in Dammam city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within the period from
July 2019 to June 2020 to associate the epidemiological prevalence of trichostrongyle infection in sheep in differentage groups, sex and seasons. A total of 400 sheep were examined randomly from different private farms, and faecal examination through direct smear and flotation techniques were done to determine the presence of the eggs. Out of these, 104 animals were infected with strongyle eggs with (26%) prevalence. Sex, season, and age were the factors that affect the prevalence of trichostrongyle infection in this study. Data analysis reported that there was a significant effect for the season and sex on the trichostrongyle infection level; the highest nematode infection level was observed in the cold months (December-April) with a prevalence of 36.44% and lowest prevalence (15.17%) in hot months (May-September) (P<0.05). Females were found to be more prone to infection (31.48%) than males (14.61%) (P<0.05). Young sheep less than 6 months old were slightly less infected (25.62%) than old animals (6-36 months) (26.25%), but the age did not affect significantly the nematodes prevalence as P>0.05. The current study demonstrated that the trichostrongyle prevalence was low in such a dry weather area, with sustainable control programs. Risk factors of age, season, and sex were considered as factors influencing nematodes prevalence. These findings should contribute to advising appropriate control programs.
Keywords | Sheep, Trichostrongyle egg, Prevalence, Season, Sex, Age