OCCURRENCE OF GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITIC INFESTATIONS IN CATTLE IN DHAKA CITY, BANGLADESH

Most. Aklima Khatum; Md. Rezwan Islam; S. M. Oli Ullah; Md. Shakil Hossain; Sushila Paul Sama; Al-nur Md. Iftekhar Rahman; S. M. Abdullah

doi:10.5455/JRVS.20250818054110

Abstract
Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism continues to be a major challenge in livestock health management, especially in tropical regions where environmental conditions promote parasite survival and transmission. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of gastrointestinal parasites in cattle at Dhaka city, Bangladesh.
Methods: A total of 274 fecal samples were randomly collected from household farms and examined using the simple sedimentation technique. Statistical analyzes was conducted using the Chi-square test, with significance set at P < 0.05.
Results: Overall, 212 samples (77.37%) were positive for gastrointestinal parasites. Six helminths were identified, such as Fasciola spp. (21.53%), Paramphistomum spp. (31.75%), Trichuris spp. (11.68%), Stomach worm (22.99%), Dictyocaulus spp. (6.20%), and Moniezia spp. (1.82%). Only two protozoa, namely Eimeria spp. (12.77%) and Cryptosporidium spp. (19.71%) were detected during the study. Females showed significantly higher prevalence (p<0.05) than males. On the other hand, Non-dewormed animals had a significantly higher infection rate (95.21%) compared to dewormed animals (57.03%).
Conclusions: This study underlines the need of better livestock management and frequent veterinary interventions, as well as the pressing need for focused gastrointestinal parasite control initiatives, especially in female and non-dewormed animals.

Key words: Cattle, Parasites, Risk factors, Prevalence, Bangladesh