The work, carried out by Dr Mulugeta Getachew formed part of his PhD studies and was funded by the Donkey Sanctuary.
He
conducted a serological survey of donkeys from four different
geographical regions of Ethiopia. Blood samples were collected from
797 donkeys, that had been naturally exposed to tapeworm infection.
None had never been treated for tapeworms.
The
tapeworm ELISA test, developed for use in horses, was used to detect
parasite-specific serum antibody, IgG(T), in the serum of donkeys. A
pilot study had confirmed that the test was suitable for use with
donkey sera.
Dr
Getachew found substantial serological evidence that donkeys were
potentially infected with the tapeworm Anoplocehala
perfoliata.
Overall,
most animals harboured few parasites and a few donkeys were infected
with
large
number of parasites. The results indicated that 26% and 8% of the
donkeys were moderately and highly infected, respectively. The
remainder had low infection intensity or were negative for A.
perfoliata infection.
He found a marked difference between results from different regions of the country. Bereh, a mountainous region, had
significantly more moderately (51.2%) or highly (23.5%) infected
donkeys, than the other midland or lowland regions.
He
explains that, in contrast to the other regions studied, Bereh is
characterized by pastures that are low-lying and wet, with
wide areas of permanent pasture specifically kept for animals and for
haymaking.This is
likely to result in favourable environmental conditions for the
survival and development of both the oribatid mites that are the
tapeworm's intermediate host and the tapeworm eggs.
He
concludes: “The finding
of high sero-prevalence of cestode (tapeworm) infection, which is
consistent with the results of coprological and post-mortem findings
clearly indicates that cestodosis is one of the major parasitic
problems in the donkey population of Ethiopia.”
“These
results indicate a risk of intestinal disorders, particularly, colic,
associated with A. perfoliata
infection in donkeys.”
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