title: Gastrointestinal nematode infection in small ruminants in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections are a major health challenge affecting productive and reproductive performance of sheep and goats in Ethiopia. However, there is no comprehensive summary on the occurrence and distribution of the infection at national level. This systematic review provides pooled prevalence estimates and assesses potential predictors of the nematode infections in small ruminants, i.e. helpful in planning interventions or control strategies. The review used 50 animal level datasets retrieved from 24 manuscripts. The studies used data collected from 9407 sheep and 3478 goats. A meta-analytical approach was employed to analyze Effect size (ES). The reported GI nematodes represented eleven genera affecting sheep and goats including: Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Teladorsagia/Ostertagia, Strongyloides, Bunostomum, Nematodirus, Chabertia, Trichuris, Cooperia, Skrjabinema and Oesophagostomum. The GI nematodes pooled prevalence estimate in the random effect model was 75.8% (95% CI: 69.6, 80.8). The subgroup analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in the prevalence between different regions and type of diagnostic methods used. 'Postmortem technique' and 'eastern part of the country' were associated with higher GI nematode prevalence and accounted for 68.1% of the between studies heterogeneity. In light of the high parasitic prevalence in all agro-ecologies, the need for strategic intervention is recommended. Meanwhile, data need to be generated for some of the regions where dependable survey reports are lacking.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 005, Hawassa, Ethiopia. Electronic address: ka7588@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Kassahun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asmare
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 005, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Desie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sheferaw
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 005, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Kassaye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aragaw
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 005, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Mesele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abera
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Haramaya University, P.O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Berhanu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sibhat
authors.affiliation: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Ethiopia Research Platform, Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Program, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Aynalem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haile
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiara
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szonyi
authors.affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N- 0033 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Eystein
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skjerve
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wieland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003141:Communicable Diseases; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006189:Haemonchus; D009348:Nematoda / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015995:Prevalence; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Ethiopia; GI nematodes; Goat; Meta-analysis; Sheep