Prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in sheep slaughtered at the Sokoto metropolitan abattoir

Abstract

A total of two hundred abomasums were randomly obtained from the Sokoto metropolitan abattoir, during the rainy and dry seasons to determine the prevalence of Haemonchus contortus in sheep. The abomasums were opened and thoroughly examined for Haemonchus contortus, which were recovered, counted and recorded. The breed, sex, age of sheep slaughtered were determined and recorded. The breeds were mainly Yankassa, Balami and Oudah. Results on analysis showed that there is high prevalence of Haemonchus contortus during the rainy season, but very low in the dry season. It was established that only the climatic and weather conditions play major influence on the prevalence.In recognition of the deleterious effects of Haemonchosis on sheep production; recommendation was made on need to educate the farmers on the importance of adopting economically viable local husbandry method together with adequate and timely routine deworming.