Mange Mites Infestation on Small Ruminants in and around Bale Robe, South Eastern Ethiopia

The study was carried out between November, 2013 and March, 2014 to estimate the prevalence of sheep and goat mange mite infestation and identify the dominant mange mites in and around Bale Robe town, South Eastern Ethiopia. Skin scraping was the method employed to collect mange mites for identification. A total of 470 animals were examined and only 8 (1.7%) of them were infested with mange mites. From 350 sheep and 120 goats examined for mange mites infestation, 5 (1.4%) and 3 (2.5%) were found positive, respectively. The difference in the prevalence between the two host species was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Likewise age, body condition status and sex of the animals had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the prevalence of mange mite infestation. The genera of mange mites infesting the animals were Demodex (0.86%), Sarcoptes (0.62%) and Psoroptes (0.21%). Of these genera, Demodex was the most prevalent in the study area. In conclusion, the prevalence of mange mite in the current study is low. Extensive epidemiological investigations that considers agro-ecology and other non-host factors are required to further minimize the prevalence of infestation and design appropriate control strategies.