Prevalence of helminth parasites of buffaloes in Maharashtra based on slaughter house study

Out of 1184 buffaloes slaughtered at Deonar abattoir, Mumbai, 20.69% revealed helminthic infections comprising 18.75% of mixed infections and 1.94% of single species infection. Prevalence of helminthic infections was higher in monsoon (25.65%) compared to summer (17.95%). Paramphistomes (17.39%) constituted the predominant helminth followed by Mecistocirrus digitatus (15.28%), hydatidosis (12.83%), Setaria digitata (8.95%), Gigantocotyle explanatum (5.91%), Fasciola gigantica (3.29%), Cysticercus tenuicollis (2.36%) and Moniezia expansa (0.76%). The organ wise occurrence of hydatidosis in lungs, liver and spleen was 8.61%, 4.13% and 1.03%, respectively and out of 273 hydatid cysts examined 24.55% were fertile and 75.45% were sterile.