NUMBER AND ASSOCIATIONS OF PARASITES IN CATTLE AND GOATS IN THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS REGION

Abstract

Number of parasites and their associations in cattle and goat in the Northern Caucasus region are studied. The parasite fauna of goats and cattle is presented on flatland by 163, on foot-hill – by 191, and in mountains – by 125 species with a similarity coefficient 1. The parasite-associated fauna complex of various species combinations on foot-hill contains 5 species of trematodes, 7 – cestodes, 30 – nematodes, 8 – protozoa, 4 larvae of gad-flies and flies, 29 – of ticks including 22 of ixodid ticks, 10 – flies, 43 – horse flies, 21 – mosquitoes, 12 – black flies, 9 – black gnats, 6 – louse flies, 3 – lice and 4 species – red louses. In mountain area the infection extensiveness and abundance of parasites (except dicrocоelium, moniezia, nematodirus, horse flies, cattle biting louse, lice) is by 38,4 и 45,7 % less than on flatland and foot-hill due to specific features of these areas. The infection of animals in mountain area occurs from July till the end of September. The species balance in associations varies from 3 up to 15 species; monoinfections were seldom reported.