Prevalence and Risk Factors of <i>Cryptosporidium</i> Infections in Diarrhoeic and Non-Diarrhoeic Cattle and Nomadic Pastoralists Populations in Abeokuta North and Odeda Local Governments Areas, Ogun State, Nigeria

Cryptosporidium, an enteric protozoan parasite, is a significant cause of diarrhoeal diseases in both humans and animals. This study utilised a crosssectional design to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in cattle and nomadic pastoralists in Abeokuta North and Odeda Local Government Areas, Ogun State, Nigeria. Atotal of 900 faecal samples were collected, 450 from cattle and 450 nomadic across six communities. The samples were analysed using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. The findings revealed an Overall the prevalence of Cryptosporidium was 40.7% (183/450) among cattle and 36.4% (164/450) among nomadic pastoralists. Among the cattle, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in non-diarrhoeic cattle was 36.9% (110/298) [OR: 1.765; CI: 1.170-2.664], while diarrhoeic cases showed a prevalence of 48.0% (73/152) [OR: 1.932; CI: 0.993-3.761], with a statistically significant difference between nondiarrhoeic and diarrhoeic cases in cattle (P<0.05). In nomadic pastoralists, the prevalence was 38.5% (132/345) [OR: 0.712; CI: 0.438-1.156] for non-diarrhoeic cases and 29.9% (32/107) [OR: 1.405; CI: 0.865-2.285] for diarrhoeic cases, and there was a significant difference in non-diarrhoeic cases among nomads (P<0.05). Male cattle in the group of 15-25 exhibited the highest Cryptosporidium prevalence at 41.4% (110/266), compared to 39.7% (73/184) in female cattle in the group of 10-25. In the nomadic population, males had a higher prevalence of 37.6% (94/250) compared to 35.0% (70/200) in females. The detection of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in the faeces of both cattle and nomadic pastoralists indicate the need for targeted interventions in pastoral communities.