Prevalence, Risk Factors and Control Practices of Livestock Hirudiniasis in Mirab Abaya District, Southern Ethiopia

PURPOSE: Hirudiniasis is a disease in people and animals who have been infested by blood sucking leeches. In Ethiopia, it is a neglected disease, causing significant economic loss in the livestock industry. In the study area, information on livestock Hirudiniasis is very limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess livestock owners’ awareness, knowledge, and control practices toward leech infestation, and to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of livestock Hirudiniasis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out from February to September 2022 on domestic animals randomly selected from livestock owners of Mirab Abaya district, Southern Ethiopia. In total, 384 domestic animals were sampled and examined for the presence of leech infestation. A questionnaire survey was carried out on 150 livestock owners. RESULTS: This study discovered a 13.54% (52/384) overall prevalence of livestock Hirudiniasis in the study area and the highest prevalence was observed in cattle (22.14%), followed by sheep (10%), goats (8.65%), and equines (5%). Limnatis nilotica was the only leech species identified in the study area. The occurrence of livestock Hirudiniasis was significantly higher in the dry season (OR=3.16, p<0.05), around bodies of water (OR=10.88, p<0.01), in extensive production systems (OR=3.81, p<0.05), and in adult (OR=2.58, p<0.05) and poor body condition animals (OR=9, p<0.01). However, the species and sex of domestic animals were not significantly associated with Hirudiniasis. The questionnaire showed 61.33% and 35.33% of respondents had knowledge about leech infestations in domestic animals and its zoonotic impacts, respectively. Manual removal and traditional medicine are common control measures taken by livestock owners against Hirudiniasis. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that leeches were prevalent and significantly affects the health and productivity of livestock in the study area. Hence, cost-effective parasitic control measures need to be implemented to address the setback.