Browsing by Author "Duncan, J.L."
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Item An Appraisal of Livestock Marketing, Grazing Management and Helminth Control Practices amongst Smallholder Farms in Nyeri District, Kenya(1983) Omore, A.O.; Gatongi, P.M.; Duncan, J.L.; Nginyi, J.M.; Peeler, E.; Mellor, D.J.; Wanyangu, S.W.; Emongor, E.; Bain, R.K.A cross-sectional study to appraise existing livestock marketing practices, grazing management and current helminth control strategies in smallholder farms in Mathira Division of Nyeri District, Kenya, was carried out to provide preliminary data for a long-term epidemiological investigation of helminth infections in domestic ruminants. Rapid rural appraisals were carried out with the local veterinarians and animal health assistants to provide information on livestock marketing and current and recommended helminth control strategies. A questionnaire survey of local farmers was also carried out on 116 randomly selected smallholder farms to investigate livestock management and helminth control practices. The main findings were as follows: First, livestock sales were related to specific cash demands with no structured production or marketing strategies or targets for age and weight at offtake. Secondly, the majority of ruminants were kept on pasture most of the time with a high proportion (>50%) grazing on communal pastures. Thirdly, local farmers relied on anthelmintics alone for helminth control, treating small ruminants 1-4 times (mean 3.3) and cattle 1-8 times (mean 3.5) a year. Based on these findings, it was considered that the generation of local epidemiological information on helminth infections would allow the development of appropriate anthelmintic treatment strategies which could reduce the frequency of drenching and be therefore more cost effective.Item Epidemiology of parasitic gastrointestinal nematode infections of ruminants on smallholder farms in central Kenya(2001) Nginyi, J.M.; Duncan, J.L.; Mellor, D.J.; Stears, M.J.; Wanyangu, S.W.; Bain, R.K.; Gatongi, P.M.In order to establish the infection pattern with gastrointestinal nematodes in ruminants in the central Kenya highlands, a study was carried out in 58 smallholder farms. The study involved monthly faecal examinations from sheep, goats and cattle and pasture sampling from eight communal grazing areas. Each month, six Dorper worm-free tracer lambs were introduced and four locally grazed cross-bred sheep were purchased for parasite recovery. The mean faecal egg counts (FEC) for cattle were low throughout the study period, whereas those for sheep and goats showed a seasonal pattern with high levels of infection occurring during the two main rainy seasons, especially in March, April and October. There were significant differences in egg counts over time and among farms. Haemonchus contortus was the most prevalent nematode in the tracer lambs whereas the previously exposed locally grazed sheep had significantly lower numbers of H contortus but significantly higher numbers of Trichostrongylus species The highest levels of infection in the tracer lambs occurred in November 1995 and January, May and June 1996. Based on this study, it is now possible to explore the possibility of using strategic treatments for the control of parasitic gastroenteritis in this area of Kenya. ©2001 Harcourt Publishers LtdItem Response of Dorper and Red Maasai Lambs to Trickle Haemonchus Contortus Infections(1996) Wanyangu, S.W.; Mugambi, J.M.; Bain, R.K.; Owango, M.O.; Duncan, J.L.; Stear, M.J.Six-month-old red Maasai lambs were more resistant than Dorper lambs to repeated infections at one-to-two-week intervals with 1000 Haemonchus contortus infective larvae. Resistance after infection was assessed by means of faecal egg counts, packed cell volumes, eosinophil counts, total serum protein concentrations and mortality rates. The weight gains of the infected animals were only marginally lower than those of their uninfected controls, most probably because of their significantly higher feed consumption, and evidently the infected lambs were not utilizing all of the extra feed for growth. This absence of anorexia in spite of the infection was probably due to the palatability of the high protein diet fed to the lambs.Item Seasonal transmission of Fasciola gigantica infections and the possibility of a strategic anthelmintic control in an endemic area of central Kenya(1995) Nginyi, J.M.; Duncan, J.L.; Bairden, K.; Wanyangu, S.W.A study to investigate the seasonality of infections with Fasciola gigantica was carried out in Mathira Division of Nyeri District, Kenya from June 1995 to August 1996. Six young Dorper lambs, each less than six months of age. were used as tracers every month for Fasciola infection as they grazed alongside a farmer’s flock. Four adult ewes, permanently grazed on pastures in the study area were also bought from farmers' flocks from the region. These two groups were necropsied after a three and six-week housing period respectively, under worm-free conditions, and the flukes from the livers and lungs were recovered and counted. The tracer lambs had) infections with F gigantica in II out of the 15 months of study with at least half of the group infected in eight months. There were two ' peaks of infections with F: gigantica; August to October 1995 and February to April 1996. The permanent grazers harboured infection in ten out of 15 months, with peak infections in April and July 1996. One ewe had exceptionally high parasite load in July total of 199, with 189 liver flukes in the bile ducts, six in the lungs and.four in the gall bladder). From the results of this study, It IS proposed that one main 'treatment with triclabendazolc instituted in October, when most tracer lambs were. Infected with many F gigantica, can significantly reduce the production losses associated with fasciolosis. Clinical cases could be treated individually whenever they occur during the other times of the year. This proposed treatment regime is intended for areas of the Kenya highlands where fasciolosis is endemic and with similar climatic conditions to the study area.
