PREVALENCE OF GASTRO- INTESTINAL PARASITES OF CATTLE IN YOLA MODERN ABBATIOR

This study was conducted over a five-month period (May to September 2025) to investigate the Prevalence Of Gastro-Intestinal Parasites Of Cattle In Yola Modern Abbatior. A cross-sectional research design was employed, involving the random sampling of 200 cattle at slaughter. The objectives of the study were to; identify the different gastro intestinal parasites of cattle slaughtered in Jimeta modern abattoir; determine the overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites; and determine the prevalence based on age, breed, sex and body condition score (BCS). Faecal samples were collected and analyzed using the standard floatation technique. The result revealed a high overall prevalence of 126 (63%) for gastro-intestinal parasites. The specific prevalence of identified parasites was 22(11%) for flukes, 13(7%) for Moniezia spp., 9(5%) for Haemonchus spp., 8(4%) for Eimeria spp., 3(2%) for Dictyocaulus spp., 4(2%) for Trichuris spp., 24(12%) for Strongyle spp., 11(6%) for Nematodirus spp., 15(8%) for Strongyloides spp. and 25(13%) for mixed infections. Higher prevalence was observed in female cattle (67%) compared to males (60%), and in animals with loose faecal consistency (96%). Age-specific prevalence was highest in young calves (6-10 months) and mature adults (31-50 months). The findings give a clear indication that gastro-intestinal parasites are endemic and cause significant production constraints in cattle within the study area. The high prevalence observed indicates that gastro-intestinal parasitism remains a major impediment to the improvement of large ruminant production in Yola. The susceptibility could be attributed to the abundance of these pathogenic parasites, the extensive system of management under which the animals are kept, and environmental conditions favorable for parasite development and transmission during the study period.