Prevalence, Associated Risk Factors, Farmers' Knowledge, and Farm Management Practices of Calf Coccidiosis in and Around Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia
Nibretu Tsegaye Guto, Yohannes Balework Zeleke, Gebremikael Asnakew Wubie, Bezawit Kassaw Hailu, Ambaye KenubihABSTRACT
Background
Coccidiosis is an important enteric disease of calves caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria . Despite its impact on calf health, information on its occurrence, associated factors, and farm‐level management practices is limited in and around Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of calf coccidiosis, identify factors associated with Eimeria infection, and assess farmers' knowledge and farm management practices.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study was conducted from December 2024 to June 2025. A two‐stage sampling procedure was employed to collect 256 faecal samples from calves up to 1 year of age across 71 randomly selected farms. Samples were examined for Eimeria oocysts using a flotation technique with saturated salt solution. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and factors associated with Eimeria infection were assessed using logistic regression analysis in SPSS version 30.
Results
The overall prevalence of coccidiosis was 29.7% (76/256) at calf‐level and 59.2% (42/71) at farm‐level. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age ≤6 months (AOR = 5.73), poor body condition (AOR = 14.46), herd size >50 animals (AOR = 9.79), intensive farming (AOR = 7.34), river water (AOR = 10.24), and soil flooring (AOR = 6.81) were significantly associated with higher odds of Eimeria infection ( p < 0.05). In contrast, non‐weaned calves had significantly lower odds of infection compared to weaned calves (AOR = 0.19; p = 0.011). Assessment of farm practices showed that 84.5% of the farm owners had no knowledge of calf coccidiosis, improper waste disposal was practiced on 53.5% of the farms, and inadequate implementation of control measures was observed on 54.9% of the farms.
Conclusions
The findings indicate that calf coccidiosis is an important health problem in the study area and emphasize the need for improved farm management, enhanced farmer knowledge, and effective control strategies.