Diagnosis of bovine gastrointestinal parasites: comparison of different techniques and different solutions

Cattle are important livestock species for protein and income supply. But disease agents, including gastrointestinal (GI) parasites, hinder their productivity. For effective GI parasites control, there is need for rapid, highly sensitive and specific diagnostic techniques and tools, lack of which poses problem to clinician, diagnostic staff and livestock owners. One hundred cattle faeces were analyzed through Simple Faecal Flotation (SFF), Modified Centrifugal Faecal Flotation (MCFF) and Mini-FLOTAC techniques (MFT) using sodium chloride, brine, sugar, salt/sugar and zinc sulphate at specific gravity of 1.2, 1.23, 1.25, 1.3 and 1.3 respectively as Flotation Solutions (FS). Overall GI parasite prevalence was 100%. Parasite elements identified were: Strongyle eggs (99%), Strongyloides papilosus (97%), Neoascaris vitulorum (78%), Trichostrongylus (56%), Nematodirus (46%), Capillaria spp. (14%) and Trichuris spp. (6%), Moniezia benedeni (24%), Moniezia expansa (16%), Taenia-like eggs (3%), Schistosoma eggs (3%) and Eimeria oocysts (100%). Sensitivity of 61.99%, 58.49% and 54.24%. for MFT, SFF and MCFF respectively was gotten using Salt/Sugar. With these techniques, Salt/Sugar availability with affordability; its use as a routine FS in diagnosis of GI parasite is advocated. The ease and rapid of use of Mini-FLOTAC diagnostic Kit can be adopted in low economic countries like Nigeria where power supply is limited as well as the safety of user and possibility of re-usage.