SURVEY ON INTESTINAL PARASITES INFECTIONS IN WATER BUFFALO CALVES, IN CENTER ROMANIA

A cross-sectional survey was carried-out to investigate the occurrence and associated risk factors for digestive parasite infections in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) calves, in Center Romania. For this, individual fecal samples were collected, from a total of 63 calves and tested for protozoan and helminth infection by using standard qualitative (flotation) and/or quantitative (Mini-Flotac) copro-microscopic techniques. Overall, 77.8% [95% CI: 63.58-87.03] of the tested animals were positive for at least one parasite infections, either as single (53.9%; 95% CI: 38.03-65.35) or mixed (23.8.0%; 14.39-38.38) infections. Of the positive animals, 13.4% showed diarrhoea and all were with mixed infections. Among the parasites detected, the most frequent was Eimeria spp. (68.2%), followed by Toxocara vitulorum (15.9%), Giardia duodenalis (14.3%), and Strongyloides papillosus (4.2%). These findings showed the presence of parasites that may seriously impact the animal health, some of them with zoonotic potential. Altogether the results of this study emphasize the requirement for specific measures for control parasite infections in water buffalo farms.