Prevalence and pathological features of ovine lungworm infection in slaughtered animals in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan

AbstractLungworms are considered one of the main causes of respiratory disorder in sheep worldwide that causes huge economic losses for the sheep industries. A cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2016 to April 2017 to characterize the pathological features and estimate the prevalence of lungworm infection in slaughtered sheep in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Multiple emphysematic areas, white and consolidated spots and different sizes of nodules, and white –creamy worms in frothy material within the trachea and bronchi were observed grossly in affected lungs. In histopathological examination, bronchioles’ lumen epithelial separation, mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration, lymphoid cell hyperplasia, diffuse bronchitis, and interstitial pneumon ia were found. In the presence of eosinophilic cell infiltrations, trapped adults and different developmental stages of parasites were also observed in infected lung tissue. The prevalence of lungworm infestation was 21.83% (110/504), and it was statistically different (p <  0.05) based on the age and sex of animals and seasons of sampling. The odds ratio of a sheep being infected with lungworm during summer was very less (OR, 0.199; 95%CI 0.07, 0.577;p <  0.05); it was almost three times more in autumn (95%CI 1.51, 5.71;p <  0.05) and five times more in winter (95%CI 2.50, 9.49;p <  0.05) than a sheep in spring, controlling for other variables in the model. It is concluded that lung...
Source: Comparative Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research