Incidence of trypanosomes among White Fulani and Sokoto Gudali breeds of cattle in Niger state, Nigeria

Abstract

The incidence of trypanosomes was investigated among cattle herds of white Fulani and Sokoto Gudali breeds in six out of twenty five Local Government Areas of Niger State within a period of six months covering May - October, 2007. Blood samples from 300 heads of cattle selected randomly from the Fulani herds were screened for Trypanosomes using a thin blood smear and haematocrit centrifugation techniques at the State Veterinary Centre, Bosso, Minna. The result revealed that the white Fulani breeds of cattle had higher incidence of Trypanosomes compared to Sokoto Gudali breeds representing 38.2 and 28.2% for white Fulani and Sokoto Gudali breeds respectively with an overall incidence of 6.3 %. It is clearly evident that the study area is endemic for trypanosomosis as such, effective control programme by way of prophylactic treatment is recommended.