Prevalence and intensity of Paramphistomum daubneyi infections in cattle from north-eastern Algeria.

Abstract : Parasitological investigations on ruminal paramphistomosis were carried out in 2033 cattle over a 14-month period in three Algerian slaughterhouses to determine the prevalence and intensity of this disease. The prevalence of infection varied from different slaughterhouses (1.2% at El Khroub, 7.5% at Ferdjioua and 12.1% at Jijel). The worm burden was significantly higher in cattle from El Khroub than for those slaughtered in the other two sites (a mean of 984.1 parasites compared with 87.5 and 140.7 at Jijel and Ferdjioua, respectively). No significant correlation between prevalence, intensity of infection and age of cattle was noted. Overall, females were significantly more infected than males, whereas the sex of animals was independent of worm burdens recovered in slaughtered cattle. The climatic conditions of provinces in which the slaughterhouses were located (a more temperate climate for Jijel and semiarid conditions for the other two provinces) may partly explain variations noted in prevalence and intensity of infection. The present results will contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology of Paramphistomum daubneyi infections in north-eastern Algeria.