Burdens of Ascaris spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. parasites in farm pigs in Ghana

Background Worldwide, intestinal parasites significantly affect the health and production of pigs. Objective This study assessed the prevalence of Ascaris and Cryptosporidium infection in pigs in the Ejisu‐Juaben Municipality of Ghana. Method Faecal samples from two hundred (200) pigs on four different farms (labelled A, B, C, D) were processed using the Kinyoun modified Ziehl‐Neelsen method for Cryptosporidium and the Formol‐ether sedimentation method for Ascaris and microscopically examined to identify parasites to the genus level. Results The prevalence of Ascaris and Cryptosporidium in the pigs was 76% and 77%, respectively. The weaners had the highest Ascaris prevalence (96.15%) with the piglets recording the least (59.25%). On the other hand, the piglets had the highest prevalence (88.89%) for Cryptosporidium with the boars, sows and weaners recording 75.86%, 75.42% and 73.08% respectively. The prevalence of Ascaris was high in farm D (78.57%) while Cryptosporidium was highest in farm C (86.11%). Generally, there was a significant difference (p = 0.044) in the mean distribution of Cryptosporidium in the pigs. Conclusion The high burden of Ascaris and Cryptosporidium infections in the pigs suggest the need to adopt and implement effective control measures. A high burden of Ascaris and Cryptosporidium infections were observed in the sampled pigs. There is a need to employ the use of effective control measures to reduce the spread and risk of infections.