Epidemiological Distribution of Major Ectoparasites Species of Small Ruminant in the Case of Chemical Control Campaign in Welkait District, Tigray Region, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2016 to May 2017 to identify the major ectoparasites species and potential risk factors in Welkait district western part of Tigray region. A total of 102 sheep and 324 goats were physically examined and samples were taken for laboratory analysis. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi with a prevalence of 58 (56.86%), Amblyomma gemma 12 (11.76%), Amblyomma variegatum 27 (26.47%), Boophilus decoloratus 7 (6.86%), and Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum 1 (0.98%) in sheep and R. evertsi evertsi 108 (33.02%), A. gemma 8 (2.47%), A. variegatum 158 (48.77%), and R. B. decoloratus 19 (5.86%) in goats were the most important tick species identified. Statistically significant difference ( ) was obtained in the prevalence of A. gemma (x2？=？14.981; ) and A. variegatum (x2？=？15.696; ) between sheep and goats and R. B. decloratus (x2？=？8.137; ), A. variegatum (x2？=？90.159; ), and A. gamma (x2？=？18.642; ) in goats and A. variegatum (x2？=？71.081; ) and R. B. decloratus (x2？=？28.980; ) in sheep by agroecology. R. evertsi evertsi (x2？=？13.400; ) and A. variegatum (x2？=？13.511; ) in goats and R. B. decoloratus (x2？=？71.892; ) and A. gemma (x2？=？6.414; p？=？0.040) in sheep were found to have statistically significant association ( ) in the prevalence among different body condition categories in the present study. R. evertsi evertsi (x2？=？6.557; ) and R. B. decoloratus (x2？=？4.856; ) in goats and R. evertsi evertsi (x2？=？5.776; ) in sheep by sex group and R. evertsi evertsi (x2？=？40.556; ) and A. variegatum (x2？=？7.214; ) in goats by age group were also statistically associated ( ). Infestation rate of R. evertsi evertsi (x2？=？7.136; ), R. B. decoloratus (x2？=？9.621; ), and A. variegatum (x2？=？10.372; ) in goats between flock type had statistically significant association ( ) in this study. The current result revealed that Linognathus stenopsis was the second highest prevalent ectoparasite with an overall prevalence of 0.00% in sheep and 25.93% in goats. There was a statistically significant difference ( ) in the prevalence of L. stenopsis (x2？=？32.940; ) between the two species and in body condition category (x2？=？10.700; ) in goats in the present study. Moreover, Ctenocephalides canis and Ctenocephalides felis were the flea species found in the present report. Significant variation ( ) in C. canis prevalence among different agroecology (x2？=？10.264; ) in goats and between adult and young age (x2？=？5.052; ) in sheep and (x2？=？21.267; ) in goats was obtained in the present study. Sarcoptes scapie var. caprea with a prevalence of 0