A survey of gastrointestinal parasitic fauna of Baluchi sheep in Sistan region and its mapping using the Geographic Information System (GIS)

Parasitic infestation of breeding sheep can cause weight loss, production loss and condemnation of edible organs at slaughter. This study was designed to evaluate gastrointestinal parasitic infections in sheep of Sistan region. Fecal samples from 395 sheep were collected randomly. Coordinates of the sampling locations were recorded using a GPS device. Fecal tests were conducted using the Clayton-Lane floatation method. In this study only cestode eggs of the genus Moniezia and protozoan oocysts of the genus Eimeria were found in the faeces. Prevalence of Moniezia was 21 percent (83 cases) and prevalence of Eimeria was 39 percent (154 cases). There was no nematode or trematode eggs in the selected fecal samples. Chi-square test showed that there was no significant difference between the prevalence of Moniezia in cold and warm seasons but the prevalence of Eimeria in the warm season was significantly greater than the cold season (p=0.008). The results showed that gastrointestinal parasitic fauna of sheep in Sistan region is different from other regions of the country. This may be due to hot and dry weather of Sistan. In addition, the 120 days' winds of Sistan displace a large volume of soil in this region that can cause scattering of sheep stool in the desert, preventing completion of the life cycle of parasites.