PROF. MAINGI NDICHU (BVM, MSc, PhD)

The overall objective of the study is to determine parasite carriage of village chicken of Mbeere district, Eastern province of Kenya. The study was conducted for over two seasons, the dry (January to March) and wet (October to December) season. Subsequently efficacy testing of selected antiparasitic drugs will be conducted. Twenty four birds of three age groups (chicks, growers and adults) were randomly selected from homesteads. The study showed that all chicken (100%) harboured ecto and endoparasites and 79.1% were infected with haemoparasites. With respect to ectoparasites, all the birds (100%) were infested, with lice, while 75% were infected with mites, 66.7% with ticks and 54.1% with fleas. The most prevalent nematodes were the caecal worms (91.7%), Tetramere species (54.1%), Gonglylonema (29.1%) and Coccidial oocyst (20.8%). Cestodes were also present in 91.7% of the samples. Haemoparasites had a prevalence of 83.3%. This study has shown that endo and ectoparasites are a common health problem in the village chicken in Mbeere District, Kenya. The studies for wet season and for drug sensitivity testing are still on-going.

The objective of this randomized controlled field trial was to determine and compare the efficacies of two anthelmintics, moxidectin and albendazole on gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in smallholder dairy cattle in Kenya in June to August 2010. On the first visit, faecal samples were collected from the rectum of 419 cattle on 128 smallholder dairy farms that were above three months of age., Faecal egg counts (FECs) for GIN eggs were conducted using the modified McMaster method, and larval cultures were done on pooled samples for each farm to determine the GIN genera encountered. The cattle were allocated to three treatments groups (albendazole, moxidectin, and placebo groups), using a blocked random allocation method. A second faecal sampling and FEC was done on the recruited cattle two weeks post-treatment, with laboratory staff again blinded to each sample’s group status. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the efficacies of the two anthelmintics mentioned relative to the placebo group. The prevalence of GIN infections in the study population was 13.8%, in large part due to 75% of the cattle being managed using zero-grazing. Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Oesophagostomum were found on 28%, 20% and 15% of the 128 farms, respectively. The newer moxidectin had significantly better efficacy (95.8%) than albendazole (74.9%) for treating GINs in smallholder dairy cattle in Kenya.

Thompson’s gazelles are an important part of wildlife in Kenya and their meat is utilised for human consumption. Gastrointestinal (GIT) parasites however, may be a limiting factor to their management and utilisation. A survey of the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites in Thompson’s gazelles was conducted on a game ranch in October 2003. 31 male and female gazelles were captured using net screens. Fecal samples were collected directly from their rectum. Nematode EPG, presence of fluke eggs, cestode eggs and coccidial oocyts were determined on each sample using a modified McMaster technique. All the 31 captured gazelles were shedding strongyle-type nematode eggs and coccidial oocyts. Trichuris eggs were found in only 1 out of 3 fecal samples from the young males and in none of the samples from 6 young females and 22 adult gazelles. Fluke and cestode eggs were not found in any of the samples. Fecal cultures revealed predominance of Haemonchus, Gazellostrongylus and Trichostronglus in fecal samples from the captured gazelles.

The strategic use of moxidectin or closantel in combination with levamisole (LEV) to control gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in the highlands of central Kenya was examined. Thirty Corriedale female lambs aged between 6 and 8 months were assigned to three treatment groups of ten lambs each. The three groups of lambs were set stocked on separate paddocks for the entire study period of 12 months. Lambs in Group 1 were dewormed strategically with moxidectin at 0.2 mg/kg body weight and those in Group 2 with closantel at 10 mg/kg body weight together with LEV at 7.5 mg/kg body weight. These strategic treatments were given 3 weeks after the onset of both the short and long rains and at the end of the long rainy season. The third group of lambs remained untreated (control group). Nematode infections in the treated groups of lambs and larval infectivity for the pastures on which the lambs were grazing were well controlled compared with the untreated control group. This resulted in higher weight gains and packed cell volume (PCV) in the treated lambs compared with the untreated lambs. These parameters were comparable between the lambs treated with moxidectin and those treated with closantel plus LEV. The estimated monitory benefit per animal from the control of gastrointestinal nematodes using moxidectin or closantel in combination with LEV when compared with animals in the control group were US dollars 26 and 25, respectively. It was concluded that worm control strategies for sheep in the study area, which are based on anthelmintic treatments during the rainy seasons, are effective. Due to the extended period during which pastures remain infective in the high rainfall central highlands of Kenya, anthelmintics with sustained action such as moxidectin or closantel may be most effective. On farms where resistance to the commonly used benzimidazoles or LEV groups of anthelmintics has developed, moxidectin or closantel may be used in helminth control programs for sheep.

Haematological data were obtained through analysis of blood samples taken from sixteen donkeys randomly selected from a donkey population in Kiambu District, Kenya. Nine out of sixteen of the donkeys examined were anaemic, with low RBC counts (ranging between 3.2 - 4.18 x 106/ml) and low Hb concentrations (ranging between 6.6 - 9.7 gm%). Seven out of nine of these donkeys in addition, had relatively low PCV values (18% - 28.7%). The epg counts in the anaemic donkeys ranged between 0 and 3100. The total protein levels in all the sixteen donkeys were slightly elevated. The differential leucocyte counts were within the normal range in twelve out of sixteen donkeys. Two donkeys had leucocytosis, with WBC counts ranging between 18.6 and 24.8, and epg counts ranging between 100 and 200