The significance of the gastrointestinal parasites of Asian buffalo in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Buffalo aged 3-15 months on institutional farms and in the villages of an irrigation project were monitored for gastrointestinal nematodes by faecal egg counts over two years. Apart from treatment for Toxocara vitulorum at 10-16 days of age, no anthelmintics were used. Half of the strongylid egg counts were zero and 90% were less than 500 epg of faeces on the institutional farms, and 67% were zero and 97% less than 500 epg in the villages. No problems arose during four years without anthelmintics on the institutional farms and during two years in the villages. Autopsies demonstrated that the eggs which were present were produced by mixed infections of small numbers of Haemonchus spp., Mecistocirrus digitatus, Trichostrongylus spp., Bunostomum phlebotomum and Cooperia spp. High egg counts of Strongyloides papillosus occurred in calves up to six months old, but were not pathogenic.