Authors: N. Okweluma, S.O. Iposu, O.S. Sowande, O.F. Smith, M.I. Takeet, E.I. Olugbogi, S.A. Rahman
Journal of Commonwealth Veterinary Association Vol. 27 No.2 July 2011
Abstract
Trypanosomosis is a serious health problem and a severe constraint to Africa’s socio-economic development, which every year claims the lives of over 50,000 people and kills more than 3 million
livestock, causing huge economic losses and untold human misery (John, 2004). According to Bourdin (1980) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI 1995), attack of farm animals by pest and diseases militate against the expansion of livestock production and could be costly in term of death, reduced performance and curative treatment. It is estimated that agricultural produce worth US$ 4.75 million is lost each year as a result of trypanosomosis. Hence, continuous surveillance is very necessary to monitor the effectiveness of control measures and also provide epidemiological data for future monitoring and control of the disease. Therefore this study was aimed at evaluating the current status of trypanosome infection in the different breeds of cattle at slaughter in Abeokuta, Nigeria.