Prevalence of equine strongyle infection and its associated risk factors in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia

This cross-sectional study was carried out from November, 2015 to May, 2016 to determine the prevalence of equine strongyles and associated risk factors in Jimma town. Fresh faecal samples were obtained from 384 randomly selected horses (n= 287), donkeys (n= 67) and mules (n= 30). Coprological examination for the detection of strongyle eggs was performed using floatation technique. The overall prevalence of strongyle infection in all species of animals was found to be 26.56% (102/384). The infection rate was 24.74% (71/287), 38.81% (26/67) and 16.67% (5/30) in horse, donkey and mules, respectively. The prevalence of strongyles in Jimma town was 35.72%, 27.27 and 23.2% in animals at ≤3, 4-10 and ≥10 years of old animals, respectively. However, in terms of age sex and body condition score, no significant differences were found between infected animals (P > 0.05). In conclusion, equine strongyle infection was found to be important in the area hence; regular deworming and pasture management are recommended to reduce the worm burden of equine in the study area.   Key words: Jimma, coprology, equine, prevalence, strongyles.