Studies on the prevalence of fascioliasis among ruminant animals in northern Bauchi state, north-eastern Nigeria

A study of prevalence of ruminant fascioliasis was undertaken from May 2017 to April 2018. A set of 7640 stool and 7640 bile samples were collected from slaughtered cattles, sheeps and goats in seven local abattoirs located within the seven Local Government Areas making up northern Bauchi state. The Sample collection was demarcated into four sections of three months each corresponding into four local seasons. 1910 samples were collected from the beginning to the end of each of the four local seasons. Direct postmortem investigation to detect adult Fasciola spp. was employed. Stool samples were analyzed using formol-etha concentration technique. ANOVA (Analysis of variance) was conducted to examine the prevalence of fascioliasis in six communities of northern Bauchi state. The prevalence of infection was statistically different on different localities. The highest infection rates from the seven sampling sites was Jama'are (48.5%) followed by Zaki (46.9%) p = 0.05. Specie specific prevalence of fascioliasis between the host species was statistically different. Cattles were more infected than sheep and goat. Prevalence of fascioliasis on gender was statistically different, with bulls showing a higher prevalence rate and female sheep and goat recorded higher prevalence. Prevalence of fascioliasis based on estimated ages of animals sampled was statistically significant, animals above 5 years had higher prevalence of 64.5% followed by animals below the age of 1 with 41.3% (p = 0.05). Prevalence of fascioliasis among sampled ruminants based on seasonal variations was statistically significant. Higher prevalence percentages were observed during the early and late rainy season (47.2% and 58.4%) compared to early and late dry seasons (36.2% and 20.1%) p = 0.05. The study, therefore, recommends regular meat inspection alongside public awareness campaigns. Keywords: Prevalence, Fascioliasis, Ruminants, Infectio