Parasitological prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis in Kindo Koisha district,

A cross sectional survey to determine the distribution and prevalence of trypanosomosis was con-ducted in Kindo Koisha district, in the Wollaita zone in southern Ethiopia. A total of 1 008 adult cat-tle was examined at eight different localities. Dark field examination of the buffy coat, as well as stained thin blood film examination and packed cell volume (PCV) evaluation were the diagnostic techniques used. The overall prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis was 15 %. Among the positive animals, 108 (71.1 %), 43 (28.4 %) and 1 (0.6 %) were due to Trypanosoma vivax, Trypanosoma congolense and mixed infection (T. vivax and T. congolense), respectively. The infection rate of T. vivax and T. congolense varied significantly (P < 0.01). The mean PCV of the positive and negative animals ranged between 18.3-32.1 % and 26.8-33.4 %, respectively. The mean PCV of negative animals (28 %) was significantly higher than the mean PCV of positive animals (22.3 %) (P < 0.001). There was an inverse association of PCV with the preva-lence of trypanosomosis (P> 0.05). The herd average PCV values of each site decreased with increasing proportion of the positive herds of that particular site. Of the diagnostic tests employed, the microhaematocrit buffy coat technique is relatively sensitiv