Gastrointestinal Parasitic Infections of Ruminants in Backyard Farms of Southern Isabela, Philippines

Raising of ruminant animals and trading products produced are major sources of income in rural communities in the Philippines. However, through the years, parasitic infections have remained a major challenge to productivity in livestock farming, with rising concerns on gastrointestinal parasitism. The infection can lead to economic losses due to poor animal production caused by inappetence, anemia, diarrhea, poor growth, and mortality in the herd. The study was conducted to determine the prevalent gastro- intestinal parasites in cattle and goats raised in three different municipalities located at Southern Isabela, Philippines. Fecal samples from 364 heads of cattle and 398 heads of goat raised in 10 different communities were examined to determine the most prevalent parasite and determine the degree of infestation. Floatation method of screening shows that there were 9 different gastro-intestinal parasites (GIP) identified in cattle and 8 in goat. Across all study sites, species of animal and between production stages (young, grower, and adult), Haemonchus sp. and Strogyloide sp. are the most prevalent gastro- intestinal parasite. The degree of infestation in cattle across the different communities in each municipality is significant (p < 0.05), with fecal egg count (FEC) ranges from 298.57 to 1808.33, classified as light to heavy infection. Likewise, the FEC of samples obtained from goat was also noted to be significantly different (p < 0.05), ranges from 1180.95 to 9157.14, classified as heavy infested. In consideration to the data presented, there is a widespread infestation of helminthiasis both in large and small ruminant animals causing morbidity and mortality in communities under study. The need for regular epidemiological surveillance and treatment of infected ruminants with gastrointestinal helminths is therefore recommended.