The role of parasitic diseases as causes of mortality in cattle in a high potential area of central Kenya: a quantitative analysis

Postmortem records of cattle brought to the Veterinary School in Kabete nea r Nairobi were examined for a period of 15 years (1984-1998, inclusive) in order to establish the role that parasitic diseases played as causes of dea th. The cattle were mainly of exotic breeds but a few were crosses or of in digenous breeds. There was a total of 1413 cases of deaths from various dis eases of which 177 (13%) were due to parasites. The tick-borne diseases wer e in high proportions and accounted for 84,7 % among the parasitic causes, which represented 10,6% of all the deaths recorded. The main tick-borne dis ease was East Coast fever (ECF) (65 %) followed by heartwater (10,2 %), bab esiosis (5,1 %) and anaplasmosis (4,5 %). Hydatidosis was responsible for 7 ,3 % of deaths from parasitic causes. Deaths from ECF were recorded in all the 15 years and in high proportions compared to those due to heartwater, ( 8/15), babesiosis (7/15) and anaplasmosis 5/15). Over the period under cons ideration, no decline was noted among Various disease conditions despite ad vances made in controlling tick vectors and in the treatment of various par asitic conditions. The area covered by this study has the advantage of havi ng several veterinary-related institutions close by. Hence knowledge and aw areness about livestock diseases is relatively high compared to other parts of the country. It is therefore challenging to the Veterinary Department t o examine the service delivery systems and other factors that may contribut e to the persistent presence of these fatal parasitic conditions of cattle.