Small strongyle infections in donkeys from the highveld in Zimbabwe

In total, 14 male donkeys aged between 2 and 10 years were obtained in July and November 1986, and January and April 1987 from a communal area in the Zimbabwean highveld, with the aim of studying their parasite populations. Thirteen species of small strongyles were found, numbers ranging between 3900 and 222 767 worms. The small strongyle populations consisted predominantly of adult worms in all donkeys. These results suggest that rather stable, small strongyle populations, mainly consisting of long-living adult worms, occur in Zimbabwean donkeys. The species found were, in order of abundance, Cyathostomum montgomeryi, Cylicostephanus minutus, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicocyclus auriculatus, Cyathostomum tetracanthum, Cylicostephanus bidentatus, Triodontophorus nipponicus, Cyathostomum coronatum, Cylicocyclus adersi, Cyathostomum alveatum, Triodontophorus serratus, Cylicocyclus elongatus and Cylicodontophorus bicoronatus.