Epidemiological Investigation of Mixed Parasitic Infections Associated with High Mortality in a Goat Herd in Punjab, India

AbstractGastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infestations are common in small ruminants (sheep and goats), causing considerable financial losses due to mortality and reduced production. An epidemiological investigation was initiated to determine the cause of the mortality at a farm in the Faridkot district of Punjab. A total of 50 goats, including 29 young ones and 21 adult goats, were involved in this study. The farm was inspected on 08 April, and data was collected regarding physical examination, clinical signs, and management practices. Symptomatic treatment was started on 08 April with ivermectin 0.2 mg per kg along with iron tonic, liver supplement, as the animals seemed anemic and had no deworming history in the last six months. To find the cause of death, four blood samples and 29 fecal samples were collected, out of which 28 samples were from clinically infected and one sample from a clinically healthy animal as control. The presence of parasite stages was identified based on their morphological characteristics. The data generated from the investigation were processed for further descriptive analyses. Out of the total of 50 animals, 25 (50%) goats were died; maximum mortality was found in goats less than one year of age, 68% (n=17), followed by the 1-2 year age group, 20% (n=5), and 12% (n=3) in adult goats, respectively. The most prevalent parasites were coccidia and strongylus. Even mixed infection of strongyle and coccidia had the highest prevalence (37.93%), followed by strongyle, coccidian, and moniezia (20.68%). The findings emphasized the importance of comprehensive parasite control programs in goat herds, including routine fecal monitoring, strategic deworming, coccidiosis prevention, and good management practices to reduce exposure.