Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Hemoparasites in Cattle and Goats at the Edge of Kibale National Park, Western Uganda.
Livestock production is a major sector of the Ugandan economy. Ugandan ruminant livestock (principally cattle and goats) are susceptible to hemoparasites that can cause serious clinical disease and production losses. Kibale National Park, in western Uganda, is a protected forest ecosystem surrounded by small-scale farms where cattle and goats are raised. We conducted a cross-sectional study of cattle and goats in this area and diagnosed hemoparasite infections by microscopy. We collected data on animal characteristics and management practices to assess risk factors associated with infection. We studied 186 cattle and 317 goats from 20 villages, including 16 villages directly adjacent to Kibale and 4 villages ≥3 km from the park boundary. Hemoparasites detected in cattle and goats were of the genera Theileria, Anaplasma, and Trypanosoma with a prevalence of 15.1%, 1.6%, and 4.3% respectively in cattle, and 10%, 6.0%, and 0.0%, respectively in goats. Trypanosomes infected approximately 8% of cattle in villages bordering Kibale but were never detected in cattle in "control" villages ≥3 km from the park. Trypanosomes were approximately 7 times more likely to infect animals in households that did not provide veterinary care to their animals than in households that provided routine veterinary care. Within cattle, Theileria infections were approximately 7 times more likely to occur in cross-bred cattle than in indigenous pure breeds. Anaplasma infections were approximately 3.5 times more likely to occur in cattle than in goats (no goats were diagnosed with Trypanosoma infection). These data suggest that proximity to the park, provision of veterinary care, and breed are significant risk factors for hemoparasites in this population of ruminants, and that, in general, cattle are more susceptible than goats.
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Geoffrey
G
Weny
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
James
J
Okwee-Acai
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Samuel George
SG
Okech
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Gabriel
G
Tumwine
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Susan
S
Ndyanabo
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Salvatory
S
Abigaba
College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resource and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Tony L
TL
Goldberg
D000712:Anaplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013801:Theileriasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology