Dairy cattle and buffaloes harbouring gastrointestinal parasites in various zones and climatic regions established by scientometrics

The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIP) in cattle and buffaloes from different zones and climatic regions in India was determined by scientometrics. The GIP prevalence studies (64) described during 2004-2021 were retrieved from online databases, and offline literature and meta-analyses were conducted by meta package in R-Software. The GIP prevalence in India was 47% (95% level CI 41-54%, PI 12-85%) in cattle, 42% (95% level CI 35-50%, PI 9-84%) in buffaloes and 45% (95% level CI 40-51%, PI 12-84%) in cattle and buffaloes obtained from 40,884, 27,624 and 74,579 samples, respectively. The GIP prevalence was higher in the South zone (60%) for cattle, North zone (52%) for both buffaloes, and cattle and buffaloes. A higher GIP prevalence was observed in Tamil Nadu for cattle, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu for buffaloes, and Karnataka for cattle and buffaloes. Prevalence of Ostertagia spp. in cattle, Buxtonella spp. in buffaloes, and Haemonchus spp. in cattle and buffaloes were higher among parasitic species. The polar and Semi-Arid Steppe climatic region harbours more GIP than other regions. Thus, the higher prevalence zones, states, sample types, parasite classes, parasitic species, and climatic regions identified in the present study may be used by policymakers for making informed decisions and effectively using scarce resources. However, there is a need to prevent GIP infections by implementing scientific managemental practices in dairy farms, rotational use of anthelmintic drugs, appropriate control, and preventive measures, which will result in beneficial dairy farming in India.