PREVALENCIA DE PARÁSITOS GASTROINTESTINALES EN BOVINOS ADULTOS EN PASTOREO DEL DEPARTAMENTO DEL CAQUETÁ, COLOMBIA

This study aims to determine the prevalence and frequency of gastrointestinal parasites in grazing adult cattle from the Caquetá state. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out, through of sampling and coprological analysis on 967 bovines older than 36 months in 99 dual-purpose herds of the nine of the sixteen municipalities that contain the 80% of cattle population of the state. Fecal samples were transported in refrigeration of 4 to 8 °C and were analyzed through the McMaster coprological technique. Data were analyzed through non-parametric statistics using the Kruskal-Wallis test to determine the prevalence of each of the parasite’s genus found, and ANOVA with the Scott-Knott test at 95% level of significance for determining prevalence by the municipality. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in cattle sampling was 45.09%, in males and females was of the 51.22 and 44.52% respectively, but the association between sex and prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was not found (p=0.2434). The most frequently observed genus was Eimeria following by Trychostrongylus, those two represent the 93.4% of the gastrointestinal parasites found; the main association of infestation was observed between Eimeria and Trichostrongylus and less extent with Bonostomum, Moniezia, Nematodirus, and Trichuris. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in grazing adult cattle in the Caquetá state is moderate. The parasites with most frequency belong to the protozoa as the Eimeria and nematodes of the genus Trichostrongylus.