Cattle, the most prominent domesticated livestock in Nigeria, represent a valuable asset in both traditional and modern agriculture. In addition, they also provide meat, milk, skin and draught power for farming 1. In some traditional settings, they also play an essential role in the socioeconomic system, representing family wealth or they can be regarded as a survival kit by nomadic people 2. In Nigeria, the livestock sector contributes 5.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP), while cattle production solely contributes 50% of the total meat 3. Meat is one of the most important livestock products, although there could be losses due to various diseases including helminth infections. The quantity of meat and revenue obtained from domestic livestock is far below the national demand due to factors such as death and ill health with associated reduced productivity and increased cost of treatment 4.

Helminths are known to be a major constraint to ruminant’s well-being and productive performance 567. Gastrointestinal helminths are umbiquitous parasitic agents of livestock, especially ruminants and are known to limit cattle production in many areas and countries 57. Mortality of animals due to parasitic diseases may not be alarming at times but their indirect effects on livestock productivity and their zoonotic impact on human health are considerably greater 8910. Indirect losses associated with helminth infections include the reduction in productive potentials such as decreased growth rate, weight loss, diarrhoea, anorexia and sometimes anaemia 111213.

The most important predisposing factors of helmith infections are grazing habit, climate, nutritional deficiency, immunological status, vector, presence of intermediate host and the number of infective larvae and eggs in the environment 1415. The effect of helminth infections is determined by a combination of factors, of which the susceptibility of the host-parasite interaction and the infective dose are the most important 1516.

This current study aims at determining the incidenceof gastrointestinal helminths of cattle ranches in Vom District of Jos South Local Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. This is with the view of providing a baseline epidemiological data on this group of parasites in an ongoing study in Nigeria.

In this study, the results of the 150 cattle screened are as follows; for helminths, 33 (21.9%) were positive the various classes of helminth. The class nematoda was highest ²¹ representing 14.0% followed by the class trematoda 10 representing 6.6%. Only 2(1.3%) cattle were positive for cestodes. Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, Table 4, Table 5, Table 6.

The different species of nematode, cestode and trematode parasites detected in the stool samples of the 150 cattle are as presented in Table 2.

This study was carried during raining season of 2018 to identify the worms that are responsible for gastrointestinal helminthiasis in Zebu and N’dama cattle ranches in Vom District of Plateau State, Nigeria. This is aimed at determining the incidence of the concerned helminthic parasites in the study area. The findings of this study shows that a number of gastrointestinal parasites including nematodes, cestodes and trematodes affect Zebu and N’dama cattle in ranches and by extension, other cattle on free range. This provide a baseline information on the gastrointestinal parasites that are often responsible for both direct and indirect reduction productivity in cattle industry such as decreased growth rate, weight loss, diarrhoea, anorexia, and sometimes anaemia and subsequently, death. The incidence of nematodes (14%) in this study is higher owing to the fact that five parasites were detected including Oesophagostomumradiatum(4.7%), Trichostrongylusspp. (4.0%), Haemonchusplacei(3.3%), Bunostomumphlebotomum(2.4) and Nematodirusspathiger(1.2%). The high incidence of these Oesophagostomumradiatumand Trichostrongyle worms is in agreement with work previously done in Plateau (15 and 16), Benue 17 States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 18. The high prevalence, according to these studies may be associated the raining season and with the life cycle of these parasites as they do not require intermediate hosts in their transmission and the suitable environment for the multiplication of eggs. As seen in this study, parasitic gastrointestinal parasitism is due mainly to these nematode parasites and routine, timely deworming is advocated seriously

This investigation have shown that bovine gastrointestinal helminthiasis in Vom District has not reached alarming level but could have some indirect economic negative impact on the ranches in spite the sub-clinical infection rates. N’dama and Zebu cattle species registered equal susceptibilities to helminth infections and this is to our knowledge the first report in these ranches involving the Zebu and N’dama breeds on the Jos Plateau.

Further research work should be carried out to improve on grazing habits, nutritional status, pasture management and immunological status of cattle in Cattle Ranches in Vom District on the Jos Plateau as often these factors seemed neglected by ranchers.