title: Prevalence and zoonotic aspects of small ruminant mange in the lateritic and waterlogged zones, southern Benin.
abstract: An epidemiological survey was undertaken from March to September 2010 to assess the prevalence and zoonotic aspects of scabies in small ruminants in two agro-ecological zones in southern Benin. Small ruminant (n = 444) smallholders and 1,807 of their animals (1,233 West African dwarf goats and 574 West African dwarf sheep) were included in the study. The animals underwent physical examination and, when scabies-like lesions were found, crusts and integument scrapings were collected for microscopic parasitological tests. The samples collected in each survey were coded in accordance with the owner-animal pairings in order to assess the degree of correlation between mange cases in humans (smallholders) and their animals. The overall prevalence of scabies was 28.33% and 9.5% in animals and smallholders (human cases) respectively. Infestations were significantly (p < 0.001) more frequent in goats (39.6%) than in sheep. The uniqueness of the etiological agent (Sarcoptes scabiei), the very high predictive value of human scabies in infected farms (83.67%) and a very high odds ratio (OR = 2,019.25) indicate that small ruminant scabies has been transmitted to smallholders by their animals. Close contact between these smallholders and their animals was a determining factor in this interspecies communicability of sarcoptic mange.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherches en Biologie Appliquée, Ecole Polytechnique d'Abomey-Calavi, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin.
authors.forename: Sahidou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salifou
authors.forename: Sabbas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Attindéhou
authors.forename: Chakirath Folakè Arikè
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Salifou
authors.forename: Louis-Joseph
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Pangui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001541:Benin / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012418:Ruminants; D012532:Scabies / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology*