Abstract

Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) parasite infection is a serious problem in dairy cattle management, especially in tropical and subtropical countries like Bangladesh. This study investigated the prevalence of GI parasites in pregnant and recently calved cows in Shikalbaha Union, Karnaphuli Upazila, Chattogram, and evaluated risk factors, including age, parity, pregnancy status, and gestation period.
Materials and Methods: A total of 150 fecal samples were collected from freshly defecated feces of dairy cows and preserved in formalin and then examined using direct smear, sedimentation, flotation, and the McMaster technique to determine fecal egg counts and identify parasite species. Data were organized in Excel 2016 and analyzed in STATA–13® using chi-square tests to assess parasitic prevalence, risk factors, and fecal parasite load, with significance set as p ≤ 0.05.
Results: The overall prevalence of GI parasites was 68.67%. Paramphistomum sp. showed the highest prevalence (38.83%), while Oesophagostomum sp. had the lowest (1.94%). Cows over 3.5 years had the highest prevalence (53.40%) during the peri-parturient period, and mixed infections were more common (33.33%) in cows aged 2.5–3.5 years. During 4–6 months of gestation, mixed infections were frequent, whereas Paramphistomum sp. (42.86%) and Oesophagostomum sp. (7.14%) were more common in 1–3 months of gestation. Cows that calved 16–30 days earlier had 100% infection with Paramphistomum sp. Pregnant cows had a higher prevalence (81.55%) than calving cows (18.45%), while non-calving cows showed 33.98%. Balantidium coli had the highest average fecal egg per gram. The prevalence was lower than in Thailand (96.09%).
Conclusion: Balantidium sp. and Paramphistomum sp. were the most prevalent GI parasites. Parturient infections linked to poor management, immune suppression, and irregular deworming can reduce cow health and productivity, underscoring the need for improved control strategies.

Key words: Periparturient; cattle; gastrointestinal; parasite; epidemiology