Aim: The primary objective of the present study is to determine the commonness of filarial parasites in donkeys in Egypt,
identification of the filarial species tainting them and the delivered pathogenic impact connected with the infestation.
Materials and Methods: A total of 188 donkeys were examined for filarial infection. The blood samples and scraping of
the cutaneous bleeding lesions were collected, stained, and inspected for microfilariae all through the period from March
2011 to October 2013. The adult worms were perceived in tissue samples acquired from skin scraping, testes, eyes, tendons,
peritoneal and pleural cavities, and the ligamentum nuchae.
Results: On the basis of morphological identification, 163 of 188 donkeys (86.70%) were infected with Onchocerca
cervicalis (82.98%), Setaria equina (31.11%), Parafilaria multipapillosa (5.32%), and Onchocerca reticulata (4.26%).
There was no significant effect of the sex on the incidence of all the encounteredfilarial worms except for S. equina, where
the infection rate prevailed in males versus females (40.82% vs. 35.90%). In addition, age group of 5-15 years old exhibited
a fundamentally higher predominance (p< 0.05) of the recognized filarial worms versus those of ˂5 years old and >15 years
old.
Conclusion: The preliminary results add to our comprehension of filarial species infecting donkeys in Egypt, their impact
on animal execution and production. Accentuation must be taken for avoidance, control of filarial disease, and improvement
of the management system of donkeys. |
