Epidemiology and factors associated with cutaneous myiasis in sheep and goats under coastal region of Tamil Nadu

A study on the prevalence of wound myiasis in sheep and goats was undertaken. The overall prevalence of myiasis in sheep and goats was 17.59% (67/381). The prevalence of myiasis was relatively higher in sheep (21.69%) than in goats (9.85%). The larvae recovered from wound of myiasis were identified as Chrysomya bezziana and Musca domestica . The prevalence was significantly (P<0.05) higher in females (59.70%) than in males (40.30%). Age had significant (P<0.01) influence on the prevalence of myiasis and ranged from 5.97% in hoggets to 61.19% in adults. Season-wise significantly (P<0.01) maximum prevalence was recorded during summer (52.24%) followed by winter (23.88%), northeast monsoon (13.43%) and minimum during southwest monsoon (10.45%). In goats, breed-wise prevalence was higher in Boer x non-descript (46.15%) followed by non-descript (30.77%) and Kanni (23.08%) goats. Lambing and kidding in adults and tagging in lambs/kids were most important predisposing factors for myiasis. Lesions of cutaneous myiasis were located more frequently on the head and genital organs than other parts of the body. It was concluded that wound due to ear tagging and pox lesions were the main predisposing factors for myiasis in sheep.