L'élevage des petits ruminants en milieu villageois au Cameroun; deuxième partie: la santé animale

Small ruminants husbandry in traditional flocks in Cameroon. Second part : animal health. After a one year survey among West African Dwarf sheep and goats in four villages and five flocks in the North-West province of Cameroon, the sanitary state of these traditional flocks was studied. The main diseases encountered were respiratory problems, present all the year and, especially severe during the rainy season, cutaneous and gastro-intestinal parasitic diseases. Keratoconjunctivitis and foot lesions were also frequently noticed. Among cutaneous parasites, mange (psoroptic and sarcoptic) and ticks (Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus) were the most prevalent. Nematodes and coccidia were the main intestinal parasites. Faecal cultures results indicated that Strongyloides, Trichostrongylus, Chabertia and Cooperia were the prevalent parasites. The mean total faecal egg counts were higher in goats than in sheep. An anthelmintic treatment (Eustidil, Wellcome) given to ail animals at the beginning of the rainy season was ineffective in protecting these animals from field infestations.