Gastrointestinal Parasites of Non-descript Goats (capra hircus) in Semi-Arid Zone of Southern India

The current study was conducted to know the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasitism in two semi-intensive goat farms owned by small-scale farmers of Puducherry, a semi-arid zone of Southern India. The primary aim of this study was to identify the gastrointestinal parasites in non-descript goats of selected farms in Puducherry, a semi-arid zone of Southern India. The samples included 18 goats from Thirukkanur farm, and 7 goats from Kombakkam farm. The goats had a history of recurrent diarrhea, improper vaccination, and deworming status. There was no information on treatment history. Fresh fecal samples (n = 25) were collected per rectum from the non-descript goats belonging to different age groups and sex. The collected fresh fecal samples were processed by qualitative fecal examination, such as direct smear examination, sedimentation, and flotation techniques. Of 25 fecal samples, 23 (92%) samples were found positive. Upon microscopic examination, different gastrointestinal parasites in the non-descript goats of the targeted area include Strongyles (68%), Amphistomes (48%), Strongyloides spp. (36%), Moniezia spp. (8%), and Trichuris spp. (4%). A higher incidence of gastrointestinal parasites was found in the non-descript goats of the study location. Among these, nematodes constitute about (Strongyles, Strongyloides spp., Trichuris spp.) 80%, trematode (Amphistomes) 12%, and cestode (Moniezia spp.) 8% were found to be predominant. It is reported that among all the gastrointestinal parasites, the nematode strongyle infection is higher in non-descript goats.