Indigenous livestock disease problems and slaughter cattle infections in the Ada district of the Ethiopian highlands.

Abstract

In the farming enterprises of the Ada district, sheep and goats were most commonly diseased by pneumonia and helminthiasis among all farming animals, which led to severe losses of lambs and sheep. In cattle, helminthiasis and malnutrition conditioned considerable losses of calves. Faecal investigations showed that 72% of the cattle were infected with internal parasites, with nematodes more frequent in calves and fascioliasis among adult cattle. Pathological malformations of organs were encountered in 65% of the cattle slaughtered at the Debre Zeit abbatoir. Economically and hygienically most important are fascioliasis, hydatidosis, and cysticercosis.