Prevalence of Calves Coccidiosis and its associated Risk Factors in Jimma Town

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2014 up to April 2015 to estimate prevalence and assess risk factors associated with calf coccidiosis in Jimma town and its surroundings. Three hundred eighty four fecal samples were examined for the presence of Eimeria species oocysts by floatation technique using saturated salt (NaCl) solution. Farms which have at least 10 calves were included in the study and simple random sampling method was employed to select calves for fecal sample and data collection. Out of the 384 fecal samples examined, 165 were positive for Eimeria oocysts resulting in an overall prevalence of 43.0 %. All the risk factors including age, sex, breed, body condition score, and state and husbandry system of the calves were not significantly associated (P>0.05) with the prevalence of coccidiosis. Considering the high occurrence and negative effects of the infection on health and growth performance of calves, attention should be given to appropriate preventive and control measures. Further investigation that includes identification of Eimeria species is also recommended.