Division of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Shuhama, Srinagar-190 001, India
*A part of M.V.Sc. thesis submitted by the first author under the guidance of second author to SKUAST-K.
Six hundred faecal samples of sheep from Ganderbal, Lar and Kangan tehsils of Ganderbal district were examined to determine the prevalence of platyhelminthic infection. Overall prevalence of platyhelminths was 28.50% with trematodes and cestodes in 18.66 and 11.83% animals, respectively. Moniezia spp. was the most prevalent platyhelminth (11.83%) followed by Dicrocoelium spp. (9.33%), paramphistomes (6.50%) and Fasciola spp. (4.66%). Seasonal variation revealed non significantly (P>0.05) higher infection during winter (36.00%) followed by spring (29.33%), summer (24.66%) and autumn (24.00%). Adult sheep had higher infection rate (29.58%) than lambs and hoggets (26.80%) where as infection rate was non significantly higher in female sheep (30.00%) compared to males (26.08%). Mixed infections were found in 2.83% of the animals with overall mixed infection being highest in summer (3.33%) while a uniform infection rate of 2.66% was found in autumn, winter and spring seasons.
Kashmir, Platyhelminthes, Prevalence, Sheep
