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Prevalence and risk factors associated with goat gastrointestinal helminthiasis in the Sertão region of Paraíba State, Brazil

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Abstract

Gastrointestinal helminthiasis represents an obstacle to goat raising, causing severe damage to herds such as growth retardation, weight loss, and even death. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated to goat gastrointestinal helminthiasis in the Sertão region of Paraíba State, Brazil. A total of 256 goats from 54 farms were systematically sampled. Blood and fecal samples were collected from each animal for egg per gram (EPG), larval culture, and packed cell volume (PCV) analyses. We found that 79.3 % of the goats investigated were parasitized with gastrointestinal helminths. Significant correlation (p = 0.004) was observed between the EPG and PCV of the animals studied, and it was observed that the EPG increases as the PCV decreases. In the larval culture, the most prevalent helminth was Haemonchus sp. (83.2 %). Age and sex were significant variables (p ≤ 0.20) for the development of gastrointestinal helminths: 86.8 % of animals over 36 months of age and 81.7 % of females were infected. The variable type of animal exploitation was also significant, with 90.3 % (p ≤ 0.20) of the animals presenting double suitability (milk and meat). The Sertão region of Paraíba State presents high prevalence of gastrointestinal helminthiasis in goats, and age and type of animal exploitation are the most relevant risk factors to the development of these parasites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Post-Graduate Program in Zootechny, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande—UFCG, 58.108-110, Patos, Paraíba, Brazil

    Vanessa Diniz Vieira, Dayana Firmino de Morais, Ana Raquel Carneiro Ribeiro & Ana Célia Rodrigues Athayde

  2. Post-Graduate Program in Veterinary Medicine, UFCG, Patos, Paraíba, Brazil

    Thais Ferreira Feitosa, Vinícius Longo Ribeiro Vilela & Sérgio Santos Azevedo

  3. UFCG, Patos, Paraíba, Brazil

    João Leite de Almeida Neto

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  1. Vanessa Diniz Vieira
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  2. Thais Ferreira Feitosa
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  3. Vinícius Longo Ribeiro Vilela
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  4. Sérgio Santos Azevedo
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  7. Ana Raquel Carneiro Ribeiro
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  8. Ana Célia Rodrigues Athayde
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Correspondence to Vinícius Longo Ribeiro Vilela.

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Vieira, V.D., Feitosa, T.F., Vilela, V.L.R. et al. Prevalence and risk factors associated with goat gastrointestinal helminthiasis in the Sertão region of Paraíba State, Brazil. Trop Anim Health Prod 46, 355–361 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-013-0496-y

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