Prevalence, species composition, and associated factors of coccidiosis among domestic ruminants in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Coccidiosis is a significant parasitic disease that affects the productivity and health of domestic ruminants worldwide. Although coccidiosis is one of the major causes of economic loss in ruminant farming, there is a lack of comprehensive evidence on the epidemiology of the disease in Ethiopia. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis were designed to comprehensively analyze the pooled prevalence of coccidiosis and associated risk factors with identified <i>Eimeria</i> species in domestic ruminants in Ethiopia. Following the PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to retrieve articles published in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2025. This review identified a total of 31 articles; however, the number of studies increased to 40, as some articles reported multiple species. After heterogeneity assessment, the random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of coccidiosis. The estimated pooled prevalence was 42.4% (95% CI: 35.6, 49.1) among domestic ruminants in Ethiopia. In terms of species, the prevalence was higher in goats, 51.9% (95% CI: 29.1, 74.7) and sheep, 51.1% (95% CI: 35.3, 66.8), compared to cattle, 37.5% (95% CI: 30.5, 44.5). The prevalence of coccidiosis in ruminants showed a minor decreasing temporal trend over time (p = 0.061). Regarding region, the prevalence was higher in Tigray 81.8% (95% CI: 73.1, 90.6), followed by Addis Ababa 53.8% (95% CI: 32.4, 75.3), Oromia 40.6% (95% CI: 33.1, 48.0) and lower in SNNPR 20.0% (95% CI: 14.6, 25.4) with observed statistical difference (p < 0.001). <i>Eimeria bovis</i> (17.4%) and <i>Eimeria zurnii</i> (13.1%) were the most frequently identified and pathogenic <i>Eimeria</i> species in cattle. Ruminants living in the Tigray region and Addis Ababa, those with poor or medium body condition scores, studies with <384 samples and 2007-2015 published articles were significant risk factors for the prevalence of coccidiosis. This meta-analysis revealed that the prevalence of coccidiosis is high in domestic ruminants, but it is still neglected in Ethiopia, posing a significant economic impact on animal health and production. Therefore, planned preventive measures and control efforts are needed.