[Principal helminths of small ruminants in Ituri (Upper Zaire)]

From August 1986 to November 1987, about 180 slaughtered sheep and goats were examined at Bunia (Haut-Zaïre) in order to establish the main helminth parasites. Seventeen and fifteen species were identified in sheep and goats respectively. The occurrence of Stilesia hepatica, Oesophagostomum multifoliatum and Muellerius capillaris as well as the absence of Echinococcus granulosus constituted the original features of this check-list in the area. Parasitism the most frequently encountered both in sheep and goats was the association Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Oesophagostomum columbianum (prevalence of 70-100%). Worm burdens of gastro-intestinal tract were moderate and similar in the two hosts. Intestinal Cestodes had a low prevalence (less than 15%) while Trematodes frequently occurred only in sheep. For the last-mentioned, paramphistomes and Fasciola gigantica were the most prevalent helminths.