Abstract:
The abundance and distribution of parasitic helminths in populations of African buffaloes,
Syncerus caffer, have not been well documented. A total of 28 buffaloes of different ages and
sexes were sampled in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, for nematodes of the small
intestine. Three nematode species were identified, namely Cooperia fuelleborni, Cooperia hungi
and Trichostrongylus deflexus, with C. hungi being a new country record for African buffalo in
South Africa. The overall prevalence was 71% and the average number of worms was 2346
(range: 0–15 980). This is a small burden for such a large mammal. Sex, age and body condition
of the buffaloes had no significant effect on worm occurrence.
