Prevalence of Haemoparasites of Cattle from Three Abattoirs in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria

The haemoparasitemia of cattle slaughtered in three abattoirs in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria were determined between the months of March and May, 2013. Blood samples were obtained from 180 apparently healthy cattle from three abattoirs (Bodija, Akinyele and Olorunsogo), using standard field and laboratory techniques. An overall parasitemia of 6.67% accounting for 12 positive cattle out of 180 cattle examined was recorded. Abattoir-specific prevalence indicated 3.33%, 2.22% and 1.11% for Bodija, Akinyele and Olorunsogo abattoirs respectively. The three species of parasites identified showed prevalences of 3.81%, 2.22% and 0.56% for Trypanosoma brucei, Babesia bigemina and Theileria parva respectively. Sex- related parasitemia revealed that females had higher prevalence 8(4.44%) than males 4(2.22%) which was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Breed-specific prevalence showed 2.78%, 2.22% and 1.67% for Sokoto Gudali, Red Bororo and White Fulani respectively, which was statistically significant (P<0.05). This study provides information on the haemoparasitism status of cattle that arrive for slaughter in Ibadan metropolis and calls for more control/preventive measures to eradicate haemoparasites to enhance more wholesome beef for the general populace.