Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in small ruminant farms in Western and Northern divisions of Fiji

Fiji has the largest small ruminant population of the Pacific Island countries with an estimated sheep and goat population of about 14,068 and 110,196 respectively, from 764 sheep and 8,801 goat farms (Fiji National Agricultural Census, 2019). In the tropical environment of Fiji, high temperatures and rainfall strongly favour hatching and development of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) to the infective 3rd larval stage, although these conditions also result in short survival times of the infective larvae on pasture (Banks et al. 1990). The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence of GIN infection in small ruminants in private farms in Fiji, and identify differences caused by small ruminant species, animal class (i.e., age and lactating status) or location (environment).