Prevalence and associated risk factors of Lungworm infection in cattle in and around Haramaya town, eastern Ethiopia

Lungworms are parasitic nematodes of the family Strongylidae that infect the lungs of cattle and other domestic animals, causing pneumonia and bronchitis. These illnesses are found all over the world, including Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to May 2023 in and around Haramaya Town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the prevalence of lungworm infection in cattle and identify associated risk factors in and around Haramaya Town. A total of 384 randomly selected cattle were examined using the modified Baermann technique to detect first-stage larvae (L1) larvae of lungworms. The overall prevalence of lungworm infection was 6% (23/384). Age group, body condition, and kebele were significantly associated with infection (P < 0.05), while sex and breed were not. The lungworm infection was higher in the young age group (11.1%) and poor body conditioned (9.47%) cattle. Lungworm infection remains an important parasitic disease of cattle in the study area. Routine and strategic deworming, coupled with improved management practices, are recommended to reduce its prevalence.