Epidemiological survey of gastrointestinal parasites of pigs in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites in pigs from the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Faecal samples were collected randomly from 271 pigs between April and October 2010, processed by modified Kato-katz technique and then examined for the presence of helminth ova and protozoan oocysts and cysts. Out of the 271 faecal samples examined, 97 (35.8%) were infected with one or more parasite species. Five types of parasites were identified, including Trichuris suis, Ascaris suum, human hookworm, Stephanurus dentatus and Isospora suis. T. suis was the most prevalent parasite. The prevalence of intestinal parasites was significantly higher in male pigs than in females (P<0.05). Single infection was more common with a prevalence of 80.4%. The results of this study provide baseline information about the parasitic fauna in intensively managed pigs in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.   Key words: Prevalence, gastrointestinal parasites, Ascaris suum, pig, Trichuris suis, Ibadan.