Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in goats maintained under semi-extensive feeding conditions in the Southeast of Spain

The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum infection in goats maintained under semiextensive feeding conditions in the southeast of Spain. Four farms took part in the study. Samples were obtained during the autumn and spring kidding seasons. The goats were divided into three groups: group I (0–15 days), group II (> 15 days-2 months) and group III (> 2 months-9 years). Faecal specimens were concentrated and smears of the sediment (25 μl) were stained by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen acid fast technique. Parasite oocysts were identified in all the farms; of the 582 goats, 111 were found to have the parasite in their faeces, i.e. the prevalence was 19.1%. The frequency distributions of the Cryptosporidium oocyst counts according to the age categories were 10.4%, 13.4% and 25.2% for groups I, II and III respectively. With respect to the kidding season, no differences were found. The present study revealed the high prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in goats in the studied zone