Diversity and prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in domestic pigs in Mehedinti county – preliminary study

Common gastrointestinal parasites in pigs are Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum spp., Trichuris suis, Cystoisospora suis and Eimeria spp. The consequences of parasitic infections can be significant even in subclinical forms, so gastrointestinal parasites can have negative effects on animal welfare as well as on farm sustainability and productivity. To the authors' knowledge, there are no up-to-date studies on the prevalence of parasites in pigs, not only in Romania but also in general. As the consequences of increasing herd size and increased animal welfare requirements should be of general interest, the aim of this paper was to conduct a study investigating the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in conventionally reared pigs and to explore possible risk factors for parasite occurrence. During the study, 105 pigs of the Duroc, Landrace, Pietran, and Great White breeds and their half-bred, both male and female, reared in an extensive system in households in Mehedinți County were investigated. Examination of the samples was carried out by the Willis method, and the samples were directly examined in Lugol's solution. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasite infestation in pigs in the household system in Mehedinți County was 68%. Gastrointestinal parasitism has evolved into both mono- and polyparasitism, with protozoa and nematodes being associated. The most prevalent species was Balantidium coli, followed by Oesophagostomum spp., Ascaris suum, Trichocephalus suis, Eimeria/Isospora spp. and Hyostrongylus/Globocephalus. There were no significant differences in positivity according to age category.