Monieziasis of sheeps in the Astrakhan region

Abstract

 Monieziasis is a helminthiasis of domestic and many species of wild ruminants. It is caused by cestodes of the genus Moniezia of the family Anoplocephalidae, which parasitize the small intestine. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of monieziasis among sheep in the Astrakhan region and to identify the corresponding risk factors. The Astrakhan region, located in the south of the European part of Russia, is a region of traditional development of sheep breeding. The relief of this area  is mainly semidesert plains with a sharply continental climate. One thousand  five hundred Soviet verino sheep from various districts of the Astrakhan region were examined using the Fulleborn method to detect eggs of the genus Moniezia in fecal samples. Histological sections of mature proglottids were stained for histological examination and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the course of the study it was found that 397 (26.46%) samples of fecal matter from Soviet merino sheep were found to be infected with monieziasis . The percentage of infection with moniesiasis, depending on the age of the sheep, was 35.61% and 22.12% among young and adult sheep, respectively. Monieziasis was more common among female sheep (41.52%) than among males (13.85%). The highest incidence of monieziasis in sheep of the Soviet merino breed was found in spring (37.02%), followed by autumn (30.28%), summer (19.86%), and the lowest in winter (22.65%). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed that several eggs of the genus Moniezia accumulated within proglottids and proglottids containing bilateral genital pores and craspedot.