Prevalence of Major Skin Diseases in Ruminants and its Associated Risk Factors at University of Gondar Veterinary Clinic, North West Ethiopia

Research Article

Austin J Vet Sci & Anim Husb. 2016; 3(1): 1019.

Prevalence of Major Skin Diseases in Ruminants and its Associated Risk Factors at University of Gondar Veterinary Clinic, North West Ethiopia

Daniel Teshome*

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wollo, Dessie, Ethiopia

*Corresponding author: Daniel Teshome, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wollo, Dessie, Ethiopia

Received: November 16, 2015; Accepted: February 06, 2016; Published: February 11, 2016

Abstract

A crossectional study was carried out during the period between November, 2013 to April, 2014 to determine the prevalence of major skin disease and to identify the dominant risk factors for this disease in Gondar university veterinary clinic. A total of 1296 ruminants that came to the Clinic were involved in the study. Out of this 513(39.6%) cattle, 631(48.7%) sheep and 152(11.7%) goat was included. Skin scraping, morphological identification and clinical presentation were the methods employed for identification of mange mites and Dermatophilosis, gross ectoparasites and viral skin disease respectively. 468(36.1%) were infested with one or more skin diseases. The prevalence of skin diseases in cattle, sheep and goats were 142(27.68%), 268(42.47%) and 58(38.12%) respectively. The difference in the prevalence of skin diseases among the three host species was statistically significant (p <0.05). The major skin diseases identified on ruminants were tick 116(8.95%), mange 31(2.39%), lice 91(7.02%), sheep ked 72(5.56%), lumpy skin disease 29(2.24%), Dermatophilosis 9(0.69%), orf 45(3.47%) and sheep and goat pox 77(5.94%). The study demonstrates that skin disease is among the most important health constraints of ruminants in and around Gondar town, hence requires immediate attention and control interventions.

Keywords: Prevalence; Risk factor; Ruminants; Skin disease

Introduction

Ethiopia has the largest livestock inventories in Africa, including, about 53.99 million cattle, 25.5 million sheep, 24.06 million goats, 1.91 million horses, 6.75 million donkeys, 0.35 million mules, 0.92 million camels and about 50.38 million poultry are estimated to find in the country [1]. It performs multiple functions in the Ethiopian economy by providing food, input for crop production and soil fertility management, raw material for industry, cash income as well as in promoting saving, fuel, social functions and employment. The sector’s contribution to national output is underestimated, because traction power and manure for fertilizer are not valued. Livestock Contributes 12–15% of total export earnings, the subsector is the second major source of foreign currency through export of live animals, meat, hides and skins [2]. At the household level, livestock contributes to the livelihood of approximately 70 percent of Ethiopians. Women play a critical role in livestock production [3], both directly in primary production of small ruminants, and indirectly through the contribution of livestock to household assets. Livestock offers a particular package of benefits to pastoralists, for whom few alternative livelihoods exist [4]. Hides and skins averaged a yearly export value of $52,160,000 USD, livestock averaged $3,390,000 USD, and meat $2,380,000 USD. Over this twenty-one year period, hides and skins provided on average 90% of official livestock sector exports, livestock provided 6% and meat 4%. For a time in the 1990s, hides, skins and leather were Ethiopia’s second largest export earner after coffee [5].

Despite the large number of livestock, there has been a decline in national and per capita production of livestock and livestock products, export earnings from livestock and per capita consumption of food from livestock origin in comparison to other African countries due to disease and other constraints [2,6].

Even if much number of tanneries is involved in production of finished and semi-finished leather products, the sector and the country are losing revenue due to a decline in leather quality. A considerable portion of these pre-slaughter defects are directly related to skin diseases or secondary damage that occurs when the animal scratches itself to relieve the itching associated with some of these diseases [7]. The existence of various skin diseases affecting ruminants is frequently reported from different parts of Ethiopia. These different skin diseases in Ethiopia are accountable for considerable economic losses particularly to the skin and hide export due to various defects, 65% of which occur in the pre slaughter states directly related mostly to skin disease and skin and hides are often rejected because of poor quality. The most common ruminant skin diseases reported in Ethiopia are Dermatophilosis, lumpy skin disease, pediculosis, acariasis, ked, sheep and goat pox and orf [8].

Apart from quality degradation of skin and hides, skin diseases induce associated economic losses due to reduction of wool quality, meat and milk yield, losses as a result of culling and occasional mortalities and related with cost of treatment and prevention of the diseases. Some skin problems are easy to cure others more complicated and some like ring worm are even highly contagious to the human handlers. The effect of skin problems on animal productivity also varies from mild irritations to rapid death [9].

External parasites are the most serious threat since they feed on body tissues such as blood, skin and hair. More significant, however, is that any blood-sucking arthropod may transmit diseases from infected animals to healthy ones. In addition, arthropod pests also may reduce weight gains, produce general weakness, severe dermatitis, and create sites for secondary invasion of disease causing organisms. In general, infected livestock cannot be healthy or efficiently managed to realize optimum production levels [10].

The potential economic loss the country is experiencing necessitates the nation-wide detailed investigation on the distribution of important skin disease. Since Ethiopia is known to be use and export ruminant skin among the livestock it has, it is necessary to study the disease which affects the skin of those animals. Even though the prevalence of different skin disease are investigated in different parts of Ethiopia; yet there is no research conducted that shows prevalence of major skin diseases in ruminants and its associated risk factors at Gondar university veterinary clinic. Therefore the objectives of this thesis are: