A survey on external (Ixodidae) and gastrointestinal parasites of small ruminants on an arid communal rangeland in South Africa

Abstract

Parasites pose a major constraint on livestock farming. Its impacts are represented as transmission of disease to humans and economic costs for prevention and treatment as well as loss in terms of; livestock mortality and, lowered productivity. Although the impacts of parasitic loads can be decreased through proper management, extensive management systems are depended on external factors such as rainfall and forage availability, which, in its absence, promote malnutrition and therefore parasite susceptibility.