Part II: Prevalences of major skin diseases in

cattle, sheep and goats at Adama Veterinary

Clinic, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia
H. T. YACOB*, B. NESANET, A. DINKA
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O.Box 34, Debre Zeit, ETHIOPIA.

*Corresponding author: yamilaya@yahoo.com

SUMMARY
This study was conducted during the period between December 2006 and
May 2007, to identify the major skin diseases of ruminants from the Oromia
region. A total of 584 cattle, 377 sheep and 295 goats of both sexes (811
females and 445 males) divided in young and adult animals (266 and 990
respectively) were examined. The overall prevalences for skin diseases were
15.41% (90 cases) in cattle and 25% (168 cases) in small ruminants, males
or young animals being significantly more susceptible in the 3 species studied.
In cattle, skin diseases were mainly due to ectoparasites (77/90 cases) which
infested males and young animals in a significantly privileged way whereas
ectoparasitism was responsible for only 44.6% cases in affected small ruminants
and was notably low in goats (prevalence: 7.78%). The main ectoparasites
identified in the Oromia area were ticks (Ambylomma, Boophilus and
Hyalomma) in cattle and in sheep (respective prevalences: 6.34% and
4.77%), lice (Damalina and Linognathus) (respective prevalences: 3.94% in
cattle and 6.40% in small ruminants) and Demodex at a lesser extend (1.88%
in cattle and 1.19% in small ruminants). Pediculosis preferentially affected
young ruminants (p < 0.05) and bovine crossbreeds (p < 0.001). Other skin
diseases were scarcely observed in cattle (prevalence: 2.20%) contrary to
the small ruminants (93/168 cases) in which the infection risk was increased
for males and young animals (particularly young sheep). While lumpy skin
disease was rare in cattle, the pox virus prevalences were relatively high in
sheep (10.34%) and in goats (12.88%). Contagious ecthyma was registered
in 1.79% small ruminants and the dermatophilosis prevalence remained low,
ranged from 0.53% in goats to 1.20% in cattle. This study demonstrates that
skin diseases are among the most important health constraints of ruminants
in the Oromia region leading to important economic losses and they urgently
require some control interventions.

Keywords: Cattle, sheep, goats, skin diseases, prevalence,

oromia, Ethiopia.

RSUM
Partie II : Prvalences des maladies majeures de la peau chez les bovins,
ovins et caprins la clinique vtrinaire dAdama, rgion Oromie, Ethiopie
Cette tude a t mene entre Dcembre 2006 et Mai 2007 afin didentifier
les principales maladies cutanes des ruminants de la rgion dOromie. Pour
cela, 584 bovins, 377 ovins et 295 caprins des 2 sexes (811 femelles et 445
mles) diviss en jeunes et en adultes (266 et 990 respectivement) ont t
examins. La prvalence globale des maladies cutanes a t de 15.41 % (90
cas) chez les bovins et de 25 % chez les petits ruminants (168 cas), les mles
et les jeunes tant significativement les plus souvent affects dans les 3
espces tudies. Chez les bovins, les ectoparasites ont t principalement
responsables des lsions cutanes (77 cas sur 90) et ont infest de faon privilgie les mles et les jeunes, alors que les cas dectoparasitisme se sont
avrs moins frquents chez les petits ruminants (44.6 % des cas) et particulirement chez les chvres (prvalence : 7.78 %). Les principaux ectoparasites identifis dans la rgion dOromie ont t les tiques (Ambylomma,
Boophilus et Hyalomma) chez les bovins et les moutons (avec des prvalences de 6.34 % et 4.77 % respectivement), les poux (Damalina et
Linognathus) (3.94 % chez les bovins et 6.40 % chez les petits ruminants)
et Demodex un moindre degr (1.88 % chez les bovins et 1.19 % chez les
petits ruminants). La pdiculose a prfrentiellement affect les jeunes de
faon gnrale (p < 0.05) et les bovins issus de croisements (p < 0.001). Les
autres maladies cutanes nont t que ponctuellement rencontres chez les
bovins (prvalence : 2.20 %) contrairement aux petits ruminants (93 cas sur
168) chez lesquels le risque infectieux tait augment chez les mles et les
jeunes (surtout les jeunes moutons). Alors que la Lumpy skin disease a t
rarement diagnostique chez les bovins, la prvalence des pox virus sest
rvle relativement leve chez les ovins (10.34 %) et chez les caprins
(12.88 %). Les cas decthyma contagieux ont reprsent 1.76 % des cas observs
chez les petits ruminants et la prvalence de la dermatophilose est reste
relativement faible allant de 0.53 % chez les chvres 1.20 % chez les
bovins. Cette tude dmontre que les maladies cutanes constituent un problme majeur de sant chez les ruminants dans la rgion dOromie entranant
de lourdes pertes conomiques et quelles ncessitent urgemment la mise en
place de procdures de contrle.

Mots-cls : Bovin, chvre, mouton, maladies cutanes,

prvalence, oromie, Ethiopie.

Introduction

buting to the livelihoods of an estimated 80 percent of the

rural population [9].

Ethiopia has the largest livestock inventories in Africa,

including more than 38 millions cattle, 30 millions small
ruminants, >1 million camels, 4.5 millions equines and 40
millions chickens with livestock ownership currently contri-

The existence of various skin diseases (dermatophilosis,

Demodicosis, sarcoptic and psoroptic manges, ticks and lice
infestations) affecting cattle is frequently reported from different parts of Ethiopia [3, 21, 23, 26]. These different skin

Revue Md. Vt., 2008, 159, 8-9, 455 - 461

456

diseases in Ethiopia are accountable for considerable economic

losses particularly to the skin and hide export due to various
defects, 65% of which occur in the pre slaughter states
directly related mostly to skin disease [15] and skin and
hides are often rejected because of poor quality [26]. Apart
from quality degradation of skin and hides skin diseases
induce associated economic losses due to reduction of wool
quality, meat and milk yield, losses as a result of culling and
occasional mortalities and related with cost of treatment and
prevention of the diseases.
These potential economic losses necessitate the nation
wide detailed investigation on the distribution of skin diseases
and organize efforts between farmers, traders, tanners and
government to at least minimize these enormous losses.
Hence in socio-economically important towns like Adama so
far limited studies have been made to investigate on an overall
situation of the skin diseases of domestic ruminants. The present
study was carried out with the following objectives: (i) to
identify major skin diseases of cattle, sheep and goats
brought to Adam Veterinary clinic, (ii) to assess the prevalence and the magnitude of these diseases in relation to
breed, age and sex of these animals, and (iii) to recommend
suitable preventive and control strategies.

Materials and Methods

STUDY AREA
The Adama town is located in Oromia National Regional
State, about 95 Km Southeast of Addis Ababa situated in the
east African Rift Valley at an altitude of 1622 meter above
sea level. The area is climatically characterized by a short
rainy season from March to May and a long rainy season
from June to September. The mean annual rainfall is 350 mm
and the mean annual temperature is 15C [17].

ANIMALS
Between December 2006 and May 2007, a total of 584
cattle, 377 sheep and 295 goats brought to the Adama
Veterinary clinic were subjected to detailed examination for
the presence of skin lesions and ectoparasites. The history,
breed and sex were recorded. The age of the animals was
estimated using the definition formulae described by AIELLO
and MAYS [1]. Animals were divided into two groups according to their age, namely young (less than or equal to 1 year
old) and adult animals (above 1 year old).

PROTOCOL DESIGN AND METHODS

The examination of each animal was conducted by visual
inspection and palpation of skin lesions and by the eventual
identification of ectoparasites. When skin lesions were evidenced the detailed history was taken from the owner and
subsequently, skin samples were taken from at least two sites
covering the adequate depth and peripheral edges. Some of
the approaches used for diagnosing skin diseases are presented
as follows:

YACOB (H. T.) AND COLLABORATORS

- For suspected cases of dermatophilosis, scabs, pus and

exudates were collected and Giemsa and /or Grams stained
smears were directly microscopically examined according to
the procedures described by CARTER [7].
- Skin scrapping from suspected cases of manges were collected and preserved in 10% formalin. After addition of 10%
KOH to the specimen, mites may be released from scabs and
crusts before examination following procedures indicated by
SOULSBY [22]. The identification of the mange mite species was based on the morphological characteristics described by URQUHART et al. [25].
- Lice and ticks were collected in 70% alcohol and were
identified using the method described by SOULSBY [22].
- The diagnosis of pox disease was based on observation of
pox lesions around the oral cavity and tail region [24].
Diagnosis of abscesses, whip-trauma and lesions due to hot
iron branding was made by visual inspection and physical
examination of clinical cases. Viral infections like Lumpy
Skin Disease (LSD) and Pox Disease were diagnosed based
on their occurrence in a flock and observable clinical pictures
such as wide spread skin lesions on and around the muzzle,
ears, scrotum and udder [14].
- The diagnosis of parafilariasis was based on the clinical
signs and direct microscopic examination of the oozing
blood or exudates from the bleeding points for microfilaria
of Parafilaria bovicola according to procedures described by
SOULSBY [22].
- The diagnosis of photosensitization and contagious
ecthyma was based on their clinical manifestations and gross
pathological lesions [8, 19, 24].

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
The data thus obtained was analyzed using Intercoded
STATA (Version 7) software. The Chi-square (X2) test was
used to assess differences in the prevalences of skin diseases
among breed, sex and age groups. In all cases, 95% confidence intervals and p < 0.05 were set for significance [2].

Results
PREVALENCES OF SKIN DISEASES IN CATTLE
The overall prevalence of skin diseases in cattle was
15.41% (90 cases): all animals were mono-infected and ectoparasites were responsible for 77 cases (13.18%) while 2.2%
(13 cases) was attributed to other skin diseases. The major
skin diseases occurring in cattle were infestation by ticks
(6.34%), pediculosis (3.94%), demodicosis (1.88%) and dermatophilosis (1.20%) in order of decreased prevalence
(Table I). No case of parafilariasis was diagnosed within the
cattle. The major identified species were Boophilus,
Amblyomma and Hyalomma species and Damalina bovis and
Linognathus spp for ticks and lice infestations respectively.
The common infestation sites of Damalina bovis were the
shoulder, neck, sides and back while infestation with
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SKIN DISEASES IN RUMINANTS IN ETHIOPIA

Linognathus Spp was more prominent at shoulder and neck.

Furthermore, males and young cows were significantly the
most frequently affected by skin diseases (X2 = 8.64 and
8.98 respectively, p < 0.01) and particularly by ectoparasites
(X2 = 6.10 and 5.60 respectively, p < 0.05) although the prevalences of demodicosis and tick infestation were comparable
in both sexes and in young and adult animals. No significant
association between breeds and skin diseases was noticed
Skin
diseases

Total

Males
(n = 225)
Ectoparasites
13.18 (77) 17.78 (40)
Psoroptes
0.68 (4)
1.78 (4)
Sarcoptes
0.34 (2)
0.89 (2)
Demodex
1.88 (11)
2.22 (5)
Ticks
6.34 (37) 8.00 (18)
Pediculosis
3.94 (23) 4.89 (11)
Others
2.20 (13)
3.56 (8)
Dermatophilosis
1.20 (7)
2.67 (6)
Lumpy skin disease 0.68 (4)
0.89 (2)
Photosensitization 0.34 (2)
0.00 (0)
Overall
15.41 (90) 21.33 (48)

457

except for pediculosis. By contrast, the lice infestation was

significantly more frequently observed in young cattle (p < 0.05)
and in crossed breeds (p < 0.001). For the other skin diseases
diagnosed in cattle (dermatophilosis, sarcoptic and psoroptic
manges, lumpy skin disease and photosensitization) the
number of cases was too small for analysing the effects of
age, breed or sex.

Sex
Females
p
Young
(n = 359)
(n = 94)
10.31 (37) < 0.05 21.28 (20)
0.00 (0)
2.13 (2)
0.00 (0)
1.06 (1)
1.67 (6)
NS
1.06 (1)
5.29 (19) NS
7.45 (7)
3.34 (12) NS
9.57 (9)
1.39 (5)
NS
4.26 (4)
0.28 (1)
NS
3.19 (3)
0.56 (2)
0.00 (0)
0.56 (2)
1.06 (1)
11.70 (42) < 0.01 25.33 (24)

Age
Adult
P
(n = 490)
11.63 (57) < 0.05
0.41 (2)
0.20 (1)
2.04 (10) NS
6.12 (30) NS
2.86 (14) < 0.05
1.84 (9) NS
0.82 (4) NS
0.82 (4)
0.20 (1)
13.47 (66) < 0.01

Cross
(n = 60)
15.00 (9)
1.61 (1)
1.61 (1)
0.00 (0)
0.00 (0)
11.29 (7)
0.00 (0)
0.00 (0)
0.00 (0)
0.00 (0)
15.00 (9)

Breed
Local
P
(n = 524)
12.98 (68) NS
0.52 (3)
0.19 (1)
2.11 (11) NS
7.09 (37) NS
3.07 (16) < 0.001
2.48 (13) NS
1.34 (7) NS
0.77 (4)
0.38 (2)
15.46 (81) NS

NS: not significant.

TABLE I : Prevalences in % (and number of cases) of skin diseases observed in cattle (n = 584) at Adama, Oromia region, Ethiopia.

Out of 377 sheep and 295 goats examined, 100 sheep

(26.33%) and 68 goats (23.05%) exhibited skin diseases
(Tables II, III and IV): this type of pathology was more frequently observed in young animals than in adults (X2 = 6.97,
p < 0.01 for sheep; X2 = 5.18, p < 0.05 for goats and X2 =
12.77, p < 0.001 for the overall small ruminants) and in
males than in females (X2 = 4.77, p < 0.05 for the overall
small ruminants) (Table IV) although no significant difference between males and females was specifically noticed in the
sheep (Table II) or in the goat populations (Table III) (38
males (32.48%) and 62 females (23.85%) were affected
within the sheep population and 29 males (28.16%) and 39
females (20.31%) within the goat population).

ruminant species for lice and Ambylomma, Hyalomma and

Boophilus for ticks only in sheep. The prevalences of lice
and tick infestations were not significantly higher in young
sheep than in adults whereas the pediculosis prevalence in
goats tended to be more elevated in young goats than in
adults (p < 0.10) and for the overall population of small
ruminants, this ectoparasite disease was significantly more
frequent in young animals (X2 = 5.51, p < 0.05) (Table IV).
No significant association between sex and susceptibility to
tick infestation or pediculosis was demonstrated in sheep, in
goats or in the overall population. The other ectoparasite diseases, the demodicosis and the psoroptic mange, were rarely
observed: only 8 (5 in sheep and 3 in goats) and 6 (4 in sheep
and 2 in goats) cases respectively were diagnosed (Tables II
and III) and no significant risk increase with age or sex was
noticed within the total population of small ruminants (Table IV).

Among diseased small ruminants, 52 sheep (13.79%) were

infected by one or more ectoparasites: 20 sheep were infected
with only one ectoparasite while 32 sheep were poly-infected
mainly by lice (6.63%) and ticks (4.77%) whereas only
mono-infestations were encountered in the 23 goats with
ectoparasites (7.80%). The prevalence of ectoparasites was
not significantly associated with sex or age in the whole
small ruminant population or in sheep and goat populations.
Furthermore, the pediculosis prevalence in this specie and in
the sheep population was very similar (6.10%) but no tick
was detected in any goat (Tables II and III). The identified
ectoparasite species were Damalina ovis in sheep and
Damalina caprae in goats and Linognathus Spp in the 2

The other skin diseases observed in small ruminants in the

present study were the pox virus disease (10.34% in sheep,
12.88% in goats and 11.46% in the total population), the
contagious ecthyma (< 2%) and more scarcely the dermatophilosis (0.53% and 0.68% in sheep and goats respectively)
and the psoroptic mange (0.89% in the overall small ruminant
population) (Tables II, III and IV). The prevalence of the
skin diseases not induced by ectoparasites tended to be
higher in young goats than in adults (p < 0.10) (Table III).
The increased risk in young animals for such skin diseases
was confirmed in the sheep population (X2 = 4.41, p < 0.05)
(Table II) and in the whole population of small ruminants
(X2 = 8.97, p < 0.01) (Table IV). Besides, considering all

PREVALENCES OF SKIN DISEASES IN SMALL RUMINANTS

(SHEEP AND GOATS)

Revue Md. Vt., 2008, 159, 8-9, 455 - 461

458

YACOB (H. T.) AND COLLABORATORS

small ruminants, males were significantly more often infected

than females (X2 = 4.64, p < 0.05) (Table IV). The pox virus
seemed to preferentially infected males than females when the
total population of small ruminants was considered (p < 0.10)
but no significant effect of sex was especially evidenced in
sheep or in goats. This viral disease also tended to be more
Skin diseases

Total

Ectoparasites
13.79 (52)
Psoroptes
1.06 (4)
Demodex
1.33 (5)
Ticks
4.77 (18)
Pediculosis
6.63 (25)
Others
12.73 (48)
Dermatophilosis
0.53 (2)
Pox virus disease 10.34 (39)
Contagious ecthyma 1.86 (7)
Overall
26.33 (100)

often diagnosed in young goats (p < 0.10) (Table III) and this
tendency was confirmed at the level of the whole population:
indeed, the proportion of young diseased animals was significantly higher (X2 = 5.52, p < 0.05) (Table IV). No effect of
sex or age on the contagious ecthyma prevalence in the overall
population of small ruminants was detected (Table IV).

Sex
Males (n = 117) Females (n = 260)
16.24 (19)
12.69 (33)
1.70 (2)
0.77 (2)
1.71 (2)
1.15 (3)
5.13 (6)
4.62 (12)
7.69 (9)
6.15 (16)
16.24 (19)
11.15 (29)
0.85 (1)
0.38 (1)
12.82 (15)
9.23 (24)
2.56 (3)
1.54 (4)
32.48 (38)
23.85 (62)

p
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS

Young (n = 85)
18.82 (16)
1.18 (1)
1.18 (1)
5.88 (5)
10.59 (9)
20.00 (17)
1.18 (1)
15.29 (13)
3.53 (3)
38.82 (33)

Age
Adult (n = 292)
P
12.33 (36)
NS
1.03 (3)
1.37 (4)
4.45 (13)
NS
5.48 (16)
NS
10.62 (31)
< 0.05
0.34 (1)
8.90 (26)
NS
1.37 (4)
22.95 (67)
< 0.01

NS: not significant.

TABLE II : Prevalences in % (and number of cases) of skin diseases observed in sheep (n = 377) at Adama, Oromia region, Ethiopia.

Skin diseases
Ectoparasites
Psoroptes
Demodex
Pediculosis
Others
Dermatophilosis
Pox virus disease
Contagious ecthyma
Overall

Total
7.78 (23)
0.68 (2)
1.02 (3)
6.10 (18)
15.25 (45)
0.68 (2)
12.88 (38)
1.69 (5)
23.05 (68)

Sex
Males (n = 103) Females (n = 192)
7.77 (8)
7.81 (15)
0.00 (0)
1.04 (2)
1.94 (2)
0.52 (1)
5.83 (6)
6.25 (12)
20.39 (21)
12.50 (24)
1.94 (2)
0.00 (0)
16.50 (17)
10.94 (21)
1.94 (2)
1.56 (3)
28.16 (29)
20.31 (39)

p
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS

Young (n = 87)
10.34 (9)
0.00 (0)
0.00 (0)
10.34 (9)
21.84 (19)
1.16 (1)
18.60 (16)
2.33 (2)
32.18 (28)

Age
Adult (n = 208)
6.73 (14)
0.96 (2)
1.44 (3)
4.32 (9)
12.5 (26)
0.48 (1)
10.53 (22)
1.44 (3)
19.23 (40)

P
NS
< 0.10
< 0.10
< 0.10
< 0.05

NS: not significant.

TABLE III : Prevalences in % (and number of cases) of skin diseases observed in goats (n = 295) at Adama, Oromia region, Ethiopia.

Skin diseases

Total

Ectoparasites
11.16 (75)
Psoroptes
0.89 (6)
Demodex
1.19 (8)
Ticks
2.68 (18)
Pediculosis
6.40 (43)
Others
13.84 (93)
Dermatophilosis
0.60 (4)
Pox virus disease 11.46 (77)
Contagious ecthyma 7.79 (12)
Overall
25.00 (168)

Sex
Males (n = 220) Females (n = 452) p
12.27 (27)
10.62 (48)
NS
0.91 (2)
0.88 (4)
NS
1.82 (4)
0.88 (4)
NS
2.72 (6)
2.65 (12)
NS
6.82 (15)
6.19 (28)
NS
18.18 (40)
11.73 (53)
< 0.05
1.36 (3)
0.22 (1)
14.55 (32)
9.96 (45)
< 0.1
2.27 (5)
1.42 (7)
NS
30.45 (67)
22.35 (101)
< 0.05

Age
Young (n = 172) Adult (n = 500)
14.53 (25)
11.11 (50)
0.58 (1)
1.00 (5)
0.58 (1)
1.40 (7)
2.91 (5)
2.60 (13)
10.47 (18)
5.00 (25)
20.93 (36)
11.40 (57)
1.16 (2)
0.40 (2)
16.86 (29)
9.60 (48)
2.91 (5)
1.40 (7)
35.47 (61)
21.40 (107)

P
NS
NS
NS
NS
< 0.05
< 0.01
< 0.05
NS
< 0.001

NS: not significant.

TABLE IV : Prevalences in % (and number of cases) of skin diseases observed in the overall population of small ruminants goats (n =
672) at Adama, Oromia region, Ethiopia.
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SKIN DISEASES IN RUMINANTS IN ETHIOPIA

Discussion
This study revealed that skin diseases caused by parasites,
bacteria and viruses were common in and around Adama
town in ruminants: their overall prevalences were 15.41%,
26.33% and 23.05% in cattle, sheep and goats respectively.
These relative high frequencies would be associated with
nutritional and climatic stress following repeated drought. As
different flocks of animals come in close contact at available
communal watering and grazing sites (contact points) because
of the feed scarcity, the establishment and spread of ectoparasite infestations and bacterial / viral infections were favoured.
The prevailing poor veterinary services, improper application
of acaricides by non-professionals could also amplified this
endemic situation. Furthermore, young animals were significantly more frequently affected than adults (p < 0.01 in cattle
and in sheep, p < 0.05 in goats and p < 0.001 in the overall
small ruminants) probably because of their low acquired
resistance compared to adults. A significant association with
sex was also observed, the prevalence being higher in males than
in females in cattle (p < 0.01) and in small ruminants (p < 0.05).
This observation requires further study in order to explain
the sex differences in the prevalence of different skin diseases.
By contrast, local and cross breeds which share the same
environment seemed to be equally affected by skin diseases,
suggesting that local breeds have not developed a specific
genetic resistance towards skin diseases.
Among skin diseases, the prevalence of ectoparasite infestations in the present study was important in cattle and sheep
(13.18% and 13.80% respectively) contrary to goats
(7.80%). Furthermore, male and young cows presented a
significantly higher risk for ectoparasites than females and
adults. Although higher ectoparasite prevalences were observed
in the Wolaita Soddo area in small ruminants (68.69% and
28.43% in sheep and goats respectively), it was also reported
that ectoparasitism was significantly more frequent in sheep
than in goats [27]. But, the higher susceptibility of females,
especially of female sheep towards ectoparasites evidenced
in the Southern Ethiopia [27] was not confirmed here, in the
Oromia region.
The main ectoparasites were ticks (Ambylomma,
Hyalomma and Boophilus species) in cattle and in sheep
(respective prevalences: 6.34% and 4.77%) and lice
(Damalina bovis, Damalina ovis, Damalina caprae and
Linognathus spp) in cows and in small ruminants (3.94% in
cattle, 6.63% in sheep and 6.10% in goats). The main tick
attachment sites were ventral abdomen, sternum, under the
tail, scrotum in males and udder in females and the tick
infestation prevalence was not significantly influenced by
sex, age or breed. MOREL [16] reported the presence of
these three genera of ticks in Ethiopian sheep. The same ticks
and lice species have been identified in the previous study
conducted in the Wolaita Soddo region [27] except that
Rhipicephalus genus was more abundant and the Hyalomma
genus was scarcely observed. This might be difficult to
explain but we assume that it could be due to agro-ecological
difference in tick species distribution between Wolaita
Soddo and the Oromia area. Moreover, small ruminants from
the Southern Ethiopia were highly infested by ticks (31.78%
and 18.63% in sheep and goats respectively) compared to
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459

sheep (4.77%) and goats (0%) in the present study. The relatively low prevalence rate of tick infestation might be due to
the dry season period during which the study was conducted
whereas humidity and prolonged sunlight favour the survival
and reproduction of ticks in low land areas [18]. However,
this result is relatively greater than that reported by HAFFIZE
[13] (1.71% in goats and 0.93% in sheep). Tick infestation
was not encountered in goats during this study. Another notable
difference between the Wolaita Soddo and Oromia regions
was noticed for pediculosis: a high prevalence was noticed in
sheep (25.70%) and this disease was not diagnosed in goats
from the mountainous area whereas similar infestation rates
were observed in sheep and goats in the present study
(6.63% and 6.10% respectively). This discrepancy might be
attributed due to the higher small ruminants density in
Wolaita Soddo than in the present study site. However, the
pediculosis prevalences observed in the present study were
in agreement with previous reports of HAFFIZE [13] and
REGASA [20]. The risk for this skin disease was significantly increased in cattle crossbreeds (p < 0.001) and in
young ruminants (in cattle and in small ruminants, p < 0.05).
By contrast, no significant sexual predisposition was evidenced
as previously reported [20, 27]. It is admitted that tick infestation predisposes to other skin diseases. For example, it was
proved that Ambylomma variegatum efficiently transmitted
Dermatophilus congolensis in cattle [6].
Demodicosis was registered at prevalence rates of 1.88%
in cattle, 1.33% in sheep and 1.02% in goats. The demodicosis
prevalences previously reported in cattle ranged from 0.42%
in the Nekemte region [20] to 1.63% in the Wolaita Soddo
region [10]. In our previous report in Wolaita Soddo, 0.98%
prevalence of mange in goats and 0% in sheep were reported
[27]. The frequencies of Demodex in sheep and goats were
0.80% and 1.37% respectively in the central Ethiopia [13],
0.84% and 0.99% in the Eastern Ethiopia [11], 0.4% and
0.81% in Nigeria [12]. No significant effect of sex, breed and
age on the demodicosis prevalences in cattle and in small
ruminants was observed in the present study in accordance
with the works of CHALACHEW [10] and of HAFFIZE
[13]. Only few cases of sarcoptic (2 cases in cows) and psoroptic manges (4 in cattle and 6 in the whole small ruminant
population) were diagnosed in the present study and the prevalence of the psoroptic mange seemed to be independent of
sex or of age in the overall small ruminants. These findings
are relatively similar to that reported by others [10, 13, 19].
As far as bacterial, viral and endoparasite infections are
concerned, the main skin diseases were the dermatophilosis
in the 3 species studied (the prevalences were 1.20%, 0.53%
and 0.68% in cattle, sheep and goats respectively), the contagious ecthyma (1.79%, 12 cases) and the pox virus disease
(11.46%, 77 cases) in small ruminants whereas the lumpy
skin disease was rarely observed in cattle (0.68%, 4 cases).
No documented report of lumpy skin disease is available
except the only report of BISHAWIRED [5] which showed a
prevalence rate of 27.91% in and around Wolliso (Southwest
Oromia). No parafilariosis was diagnosed in all ruminants in
this study and meanwhile there is no documented report yet
on parafilariosis of cattle in Ethiopia. Besides, 2 cases of
photosensitization which could be associated with the extreme
sun radiation in the area were also observed in cattle in the

460

present study. Significant associations between the prevalence

of skin diseases not induced by ectoparasites and sex and age
were evidenced in small ruminants, males (p < 0.05) and
young animals (p < 0.01), particularly sheep (p < 0.05), showing
a greater susceptibility. This might be a result of the natural
fighting behaviour of male animals among themselves,
which could predispose them to various skin diseases. Young
animals are also very susceptible to skin diseases probably
because of their young, scarcely wool covered skin and relatively undeveloped immunity as well as their frequent exposure
to pasture together with adults.
In cattle, the 7 cases of dermatophilosis were not significantly related to a given risk factor (sex, breed or age) in
agreement with previous reports of BERHANU and WOLDEMESKEL [4] and WOLDEMESKEL [26]. The dermatophilosis prevalence in local animals was 1.34% but this disease was not observed in cross breeds. This might be due to
good management system where cross and exotic animals
are usually kept in door, well sheltered and supplied with
appropriate nutritional supplement, as well close follow up
for early detection and treatment of diseased animals. Exotic
and cross bred cows are usually kept by individuals who are
relatively educated and have the awareness of animal husbandry and management. This is not commonly practiced by
uneducated farmers in the area who essentially rear local animals. In the current study, low prevalence of dermatophilosis
were recorded in sheep (0.53%) and goats (0.68%) compared
to cattle (1.2%) and are relatively lower than that reported by
HAFFIZE [13] (13.07% in sheep and 2.06% in goats). The
species susceptibility to dermatophilosis could emanate from
the natural resistance of the animals and the type of management provided to them.
The contagious ecthyma prevalence observed in this study
in small ruminants (1.86% in sheep, 1.69% in goats and
1.79% in the overall small ruminants) was markedly lower
than those previously reported by BISHAWIRED [5]
(27.91%) and REGASA [20] (7.02%), probably because of
the realisation of a vaccination program against this disease
just before the beginning of this study.
On the other hand, the frequency of pox virus disease was
relatively elevated compared to other studies [13] who reported
1.53% in sheep and 1.62% in goats but by far lower than that
reported by [11] (22% in sheep and 18.5% in goats).
Moreover, within the whole small ruminant population, males
tended to be more frequently affected than females (p < 0.10)
and young small ruminants were significantly less resistant
than adults (p < 0.05). However, there was no report so far
explaining such differences in Ethiopia.
Even though the study was limited to group of animals
brought to the mentioned veterinary clinic, the prevalence of
different skin diseases in these domestic ruminants suggest
the importance of these diseases in reducing the production
and productivity of domestic ruminants. As Adama is also
one of the biggest animals marketing site and route of
transportation of mainly ruminants to the capital, Addis
Ababa for meat supply and other part of the country for
drought power and breeding purposes, the potential risk of
this particular study site in dissemination of skin diseases
should be underlined. Considering the importance of skin

YACOB (H. T.) AND COLLABORATORS

and hides as main source of foreign currency to the country,

the prevailing skin diseases and ectoparasites mainly in different age groups of these domestic ruminants reared in and
around Adama town requires attention in order to minimize
the spread of infestation and increase income earnings of farmers
and small scale holders whose livelihood is dependent on
their animals.

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