This work was applied in two folds, the first one is to investigate natural parasitic infestation of donkeys, this was applied on 194 donkeys of 4 months to 7 years old age of both sexes from different localities at kaluobia and sharkia governorates for one year period. All of these donkeys were involved in field work, transportation work, draught work or both during this study; also they were in contact with domestic ruminants.
Some of these animals were clinically normal while others may exhibit one or more of these signs as fever, increase respiration, increase heart rate, depression, anorexia or decrease of appetite, pale or ictric mucous membranes, easily detached hair, loss of body weight, decrease work performance, distended abdomen, hallow flank, slight cough, skin nodules, ulcerative dermatitis, painful enlargement of scrotum, edema, colic, lameness and diarrhea. Fecal and blood samples were collected before and regularly after treatment.
Coprological examination revealed Strongylus sp (68.04%), Strongyloides. sp (47.42%), Trichostrongylus.sp (40.21%), Parascaris equorum (10.31%), Dictyocalaus .sp (15.46%), Oxyuris equi (26.8%), Fasciola sp (6.7%), Gastrodiscus aegyptiacaus (23.2%) and Gastrophilus sp (31.44%),. Blood examination revealed microfilariae in 9.28%, Babesia sp in 5.15% and Trypanosoma evansi in 3.61%. Single parasitic infestation was rare while mixed parasitism was common among donkeys.
Serum biochemical analysis of donkeys under natural parasitic survey declared that, animals infested with nematodes showed non significant variation in analytical parameters, donkeys infested with trematodes exhibited significant alteration in glucose and total cholesterol, meanwhile donkeys showing mixed parasitism revealed significant decrease in total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium and significant increase in total cholesterol, total bilirubin, AST and ALT.
The second fold of this manuscript includes experimental infestation of donkeys by Schistosoma mansoni, Fasciola gigantica and Trypanosoma evansi. The results of these experiments regarded to clinical signs, parasitological evidence as well as interaction between those parasites and the host were recorded and discussed.
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