Prevalence and Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Cattle in Different Zones of Tehsil Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan

The study was conducted from March 2015 to February 2016 in different zones of Tehsil Chakwal in different breeds of cattle to detect the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites. A total of the 1039 faecal samples were randomly collected from cattle in the study area and standard laboratory procedures were followed to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites. The study revealed that the overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of cattle was 58.13% with maximum prevalence for trematodes (21.56%) following 18.48% for nematodes and 18.09% for cestodes. Highest prevalence was observed during the months of July and August. Exotic breeds were affected more than local breeds by the helminthes. Prevalence was higher in case of young and male animals as compared to adult and female animals respectively. Higher prevalence rates in the study showed the neglect of better management practices targeted at control of gastrointestinal parasites. It was concluded that age, gender, breed and season are the important factors which influence the epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasites.