Prevalence of gastrointestinal and haemoparasites in cattle herds in Burdur, Türkiye: A field-based survey using conventional diagnostic methods

The aim of this study was to obtain epidemiological data on gastrointestinal and haemoparasites in cattle raised in Burdur province. Blood and fecal samples were collected from 578 randomly selected cattle, with at least 50 animals sampled from each of the 11 districts in the province. Samples were examined microscopically for various parasitic agents and their developmental stages using conventional parasitological methods. Among the animals tested, 125 were positive for at least one parasitic agent or developmental form, resulting in an overall parasitological positivity rate of 21.62%. The prevalence of blood and gastrointestinal parasites was 9.86% (57/578) and 14% (85/578), respectively. The most frequently detected parasites, regardless of single or mixed infections, were Theileria spp. piroplasms (8.65%), followed by Eimeria spp. oocysts (7.61%), Trichostrongylidae spp. eggs (6.4%), Dicrocoelium dendriticum eggs (2.07%), Anaplasma spp. (1.73%), and Marshallagia spp. eggs (0.34%). The least prevalent were Fasciola spp., Nematodirus spp., Moniezia spp. eggs, and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, each detected at 0.17% (1/578). District-level positivity rates varied, with Yeşilova (50%) and Karamanlı (48%) showing the highest prevalence, followed by Çavdır (38.18%), Altınyayla (26%), Gölhisar (21.56%), Tefenni (14%), Bucak (11.11%), Kemer (10%), Merkez (10%), Ağlasun (9.61%), and Çeltikçi (3.57%).