Diagnostic Study of Ovine Gastrointestinal Parasites in Kirkuk City, Iraq

The present study aimed to diagnose the gastrointestinal parasites in native sheep in Kirkuk city, Iraq, during the period between October 2016 to March 2017. A total of 160 fecal samples were examined by direct, flotation and sedimentation methods. Positive samples of fecal smears were prepared and stained using acridine orange stain for fluorescent microscope examination. Eighty-five samples (53.1%) were diagnosed as positive for endoparasites. The majority (62.4%) of positive sheep were suffered from mixed infection. The identified nematodes included: Marshallagia marshalli (54.1%), Ostertagia circumcincta (38.8%), Trichostrongylus (21.2%), Nematodirus spp. (8.2%), and Cooperia spp. (3.5%). Only one trematode; Paraphistomum cervi (5.9%), and one cestode; Moniezia spp. were found. Three intestinal protozoa were diagnosed, including: Eimeria spp.oocyst (27%), Buxtonella sulcata (3.4%), and Giardia spp. (1.2%). In this study, E. ovina and E. crandalis were documented for the first time in Kirkuk city.