Seasonal Fluctuations of Nematode Populations in Breeding Ewes and Lambs

The seasonal changes in nematode populations of a flock of sheep in the Montreal area were determined using serial fecal egg counts, fecal culture of larvae and necropsy worm counts. It was found that Ostertagia spp.,Nematodirus spp., Trichostrongylus agei, Trichostrongylus spp. and Chabertia ovina over-wintered on pasture and could initiate patent infections the following spring. The development of populations of H. contortus was typical of that seen with most of the other species and was characterized by the following series of events. In early winter when the study was started with stabled pregnant ewes, most of the populations were immature and the egg counts were low and remained so throughout the entire winter. However, in the spring, following lambing, large numbers of adult worms were seen with a consequent decrease in immatures and a sudden increase in egg counts. When the ewes and lambs were pastured together, the egg counts in ewes dropped consequent to “self-cure”, the “spring-rise” providing the major source of overwhelming infections for lambs with deaths by the end of July. As the season progressed larvae taken in by both ewes and lambs did not mature, and by early fall, most of the worm population consisted of immature forms. It appeared that H. contortus could not have more than two generations in ewes or lambs in a single grazing season.     

Pilot project to investigate over-wintering of free-living gastrointestinal nematode larvae of sheep in Ontario,Canada

This study investigated the overwintering survival and infectivity of free-living gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) stages on pasture. The presence of GIN larvae was assessed on 3 sheep farms in Ontario with a reported history of clinical haemonchosis, by collecting monthly pasture samples over the winter months of 2009/2010. The infectivity of GIN larvae on spring pastures was evaluated using 16 tracer lambs. Air and soil temperature and moisture were recorded hourly. Free-living stages of Trichostrongylus spp. and Nematodirus spp. were isolated from herbage samples. Gastrointestinal nematodes were recovered from all tracer lambs on all farms; Teladorsagia sp. was the predominant species. Very low levels of Haemonchus contortus were recovered from 1 animal on 1 farm. The results suggest that Haemonchus larvae do not survive well on pasture, while Teladorsagia sp., Trichostrongylus spp. and Nematodirus spp. are able to overwinter on pasture in Ontario and are still infective for sheep in the spring.     

Periparturient rise in faecal nematode egg counts in west African dwarf sheep in southern Ghana in the absence of arrested strongyle larvae

The nematode egg output of two groups of ewes, a pregnant test group (2-3 years of age) mated between March and April and a non-pregnant control group (5-6 years of age) was followed. The worm burdens acquired by worm-free 'tracer' lambs were also followed on the same pasture from March 1988 to February 1989. There was a significant difference (P less than 0.05) in the magnitude of the egg output in the test group compared with the control group. In the test ewes, an initial rise in egg production occurred 2 weeks after lambing and was maintained for five consecutive months. Necropsy worm counts from the 'tracer' lambs revealed that pasture larval levels were directly related to the levels of rainfall. Adult nematodes (Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Trichostrongylus axei, Haemonchus contortus, Oesophagostomum venulosum and Trichuris ovis), and some Moniezia expansa were present in almost all the lambs throughout the year, with the exception of January and February 1989. The absence of immature larvae in these lambs indicates that arrested development is not a feature of the life cycle of these species in Southern Ghana. The occurrence of a periparturient rise of nematode eggs in West African Dwarf ewes, a year-round breeder, means that susceptible lambs could be open to infection throughout the year. Control should, therefore, be conducted by treating ewes after lambing and restricting the breeding season to particular periods of the year.     

Seasonal patterns of gastrointestinal nematode infection in goats on two Lithuanian farms

Background

This study investigated seasonal changes in naturally acquired gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections on two Lithuanian goat farms with different parasite control practices.

Findings

On both farms, nematode faecal egg counts (FEC) and larval cultures were obtained from 15 adult and 10 young goats at bi-weekly intervals from April 2012 to April 2013. Goats on farm A were dewormed with ivermectin (0.3 mg/kg body weight) in October/November 2012, whereas the animals on farm B were left untreated. Thirteen young goats were slaughtered in August/November 2012 and April 2013 and worm burdens in the gastrointestinal tract were enumerated. In goats from both farms, Teladorsagia, Trichostrongylus, Oesophagostomum, Chabertia and Haemonchus were the dominant GIN genera. Herbage contamination with infective third-stage larvae (L₃) peaked in July/August and resulted in high FEC in September/October. Parasitological examination at slaughter showed that Teladorsagia spp. and Haemonchus contortus survived the winter, both in the abomasal mucosa as adults and as early fourth-stage larvae (EL₄). Deworming on farm A significantly reduced FEC, especially of H. contortus, at the start of the grazing period compared with the untreated farm B (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Goats were heavily infected with several GIN throughout the year. Strategic anthelmintic treatment during housing significantly reduced nematode egg output, in particular by H. contortus, at the start of the grazing season.     

Periparturient and seasonal rise in the trichostrongylid egg output of infected ewes during the dry season in Northern Nigeria

The faecal parasite egg output of lambing and non-lambing ewes in two sheep flocks in the dry season of 1975/1976 and 1976/1977 was determined. Ewes wormed at the end of the rainy season showed a very low parasite egg output during the dry season of 1975/ 1976. No periparturient rise of parasite eggs was detectable in the ewes which lambed in December or January. Towards the end of the dry season the parasite egg counts in the faeces increased and the highest counts were observed in lactating ewes.The parasite egg output at the beginning of the dry season was apparently due to recently acquired infections, mainly Trychostronglus sp. The increase in egg output at the end of the dry season was related to the development of inhibited larvae mainly of Haemonchus sp. This development was detectable from the end of February onwards.The differences in parasite egg output during the two seasons was associated with different rainfall patterns during 1975 and 1976.     

Long-Term Study of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in a Swedish Sheep Flock

Lundén, A., A. Näsholm and A. Uggla: Long term study of Toxoplasma gondii infection in a Swedish sheep flock. Acta vet. scand. 1994,35,273-281.– The infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii was studied during 6 years in a sheep flock in central Sweden. The flock consisted of 165-249 breeding ewes of which 20-35% were lambs less than 1 year old. Most ewes were slaughtered when 5 years old. The sheep were kept indoors from end of September to early May. Lambing took place in March and April. Individual serum samples were collected twice a year, once just before turning the sheep out to pasture in the spring, and again after housing in the autumn. Sera were analysed by ELISA for antibodies to T. gondii. The seroprevalence varied between 10% and 45% during the 6 years of observation. Seroconversion was detected predominantly at the autumn sampling, indicating that in most cases infection was acquired at pasture. Subclinical effects of T. gondii infection on lamb weight, litter size, total litter weight and ewe weight were also studied. Lambs born to chronically infected ewes were lighter at birth than those of uninfected ewes, but this disparity was no longer evident at weaning.     

An assessment of residual ovine nematodes on pasture under maritime conditions.

Residual ovine nematode pasture infections were assessed by grazing groups of ewes and their lambs on permanent sheep and cattle pastures and by the use of tracer lambs. Ostertagia spp., Cooperia oncophora, Nematodirus spp., Chabertia ovina and Trichuris spp. eggs and/or larvae survived on pastures overwinter. Second generation Ostertagia larvae were present in greatest numbers on pasture during the latter part of August and early September. The failure of a significant build-up of Cooperia oncophora was attributed to negligible worm egg output of this species in sheep. A build-up of Nematodirus spp. on pasture was not detected in this study.     

An epidemiological study of parasitic gastroenteritis in sheep under an intensive grazing system

Romanov X Rasa Aragonesa ewes rearing twins and kept on pasture at a mean stocking density of 35 ewes ha-1 were used to study the epidemiology of parasitic gastro-enteritis under an intensive grazing system on irrigated land in the northeast of Spain. Measurements were made of the population of infective larvae on the pasture, level of serum pepsinogen, faecal worm eggs in ewes and lambs, and lamb growth rates. In addition, postmortem worm counts from "indicator" lambs were used to establish the level of infection at each rotational grazing cycle. Two generations of parasites were identified in the experiment. One of them, derived from the eggs deposited the previous autumn, gave rise to the first infection of the animals in March and April. This was responsible for the first outbreak of parasitism in the lambs. This was indicated by an increase in serum pepsinogen levels, the appearance of diarrhoea and a significant decrease in lamb growth rates. Ostertagia spp., Nematodirus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. were present. The second generation, which appeared during May, was derived from the eggs of the previous generation and gave rise to an outbreak of parasitism in the lambs at the beginning of May and the middle of June. Haemonchus spp. and Chabertia ovina were present. Under the conditions of this experiment, the overwintering larvae have an important epidemiological significance as the gastro-intestinal nematodes are one of the main limiting factors for developing intensive sheep production systems.     

Haemonchus contortus and other trichostrongylid infections in parturient, lactating and dry ewes

From autumn (April) to spring (November), groups of pregnant and dry Merino ewes grazed pasture contaminated with infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia circumcincta and Trichostrongylus colubriformis. A periparturient rise in faecal egg counts occurred in the pregnant ewes, following the maturation in early spring of arrested fourth-stage larvae of H. contortus and failure of pregnant ewes to expel the resulting adult worms. Peak egg counts were seen in September, just before lambing. In dry ewes, egg counts were slightly elevated at the time of the rise in the pregnant ewes, but fell to very low levels as adult worms developing from previously arrested larvae were expelled. Lactating ewes acquired greater burdens of O. circumcincta and T. colubriformis than did dry ewes, but were equally refractory to new infections with H. contortus. It is therefore suggested that the impairment of immunity to helminth infection seen in reproductive ewes may be more specific than was previously envisaged.     

Efficiency of Duddingtonia flagrans against Trichostrongyle infections of sheep on mountain pastures

The control of sheep nematode parasites in extensive mountain/transhumant management systems using the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans was assessed in this study. Two groups of Churra Tensina ewes were allowed to graze for 8 weeks in autumn on two separate paddocks of infected pasture near their winter sheds in the valley. At lambing, ewes and their twin lambs were turned out into the same paddocks for the following 12 weeks. One group of ewes received a daily dose of 5 x 10(5) chlamydospores of Duddingtonia flagrans/kg live weight per day both in autumn and in spring, while the other group was used as a non-treated control. Daily dosing of grazing ewes with the fungus D. flagrans had a clear effect on reducing autumn pasture contamination. This had a subsequent effect on the over-wintering larvae population that was confirmed by a 20% lower worm burden of tracer lambs kept in early spring on the paddock previously grazed by fungus treated ewes. In spring, pasture contamination was also significantly reduced in the paddock grazed by fungi-treated ewes and their lambs showed a 61% lower worm burden and a better performance than the control lambs. Results herein show that fungal spores fed to sheep at critical times with regard to the epidemiology of parasite infection, can have a significant effect on the infective larvae present on pasture, which could further improve lambs performance. This novel approach to parasite control would be of interest amongst both organic and conventional sheep farmers operating in mountain regions.     

THE EFFECT OF ANTHELMINTIC TREATMENT OF MAIDEN EWES IN THE PERIPARTURIENT PERIOD ON PASTURE CONTAMINATION AND PRODUCTION OF PRIME LAMBS

SUMMARY A replicated experiment using first cross Border Leicester/Merino maiden ewes set stocked at the rate of 9.9 per hectare was conducted to examine the effects of treatment of the ewes in the periparturient period (PPP) and treatment of lambs at about 12 weeks of age on the production of prime lambs. All treatments given were thiabendazole. Four groups each of 100 ewes (4 replicates × 25) were treated either pre-lambing, 2 weeks before lambing commenced and again post-lambing, 8 weeks later when lambing was almost complete (DD), pre-lambing only (DO), post-lambing only (OD) or not treated during the lambing period (OO). Lambing commenced 24 July 1972 with the bulk of lambing (98%) occuring within the first 4 weeks of a 6 weeks lambing period. The effectiveness of the drenching regimes was judged by observing bodyweight gains per day during four overlapping intervals between birth and 18 weeks of age. The bodyweight gain of lambs up to 18 weeks and the number of lambs exceeding a target weight of 33 kg at 18 weeks of age were considered to be critical measurements of production efficiency. Significant bodyweight differences were observed within 30 days from birth, favouring DD and DO over OD and OO lambs (p < 0.01). These differences continued until 12 weeks of age at a reduced level of significance (p < 0.05). By 18 weeks of age the results favoured DD over DO (p <0.05) over both OD and OO lambs (p < 0.05). Further differences were created by the treatment of lambs at 12 weeks of age (p < 0.01). At no time during the entire experiment were any significant differences observed between OD and OO lambs. The periparturient rise (PPR) in faecal nematode egg output was monitored throughout the experiment. Anthelmintic treatment of the ewes in the PPP did not eliminate the PPR but did affect the onset, magnitude and duration of the PPR which was either delayed by the prelambing treatment or truncated by the post-lambing treatment; treatments both before and after lambing delayed and depressed the PPR and reduced total pasture contamination by 29%. An effect on bodyweight of ewes was also observed with ewes being treated pre-lambing (Groups DD, DO) being significantly heavier at 18 weeks post-lambing than OD and OO ewes (p < 0.05). The observed effects on lamb production have been attributed in the main to an apparent, though not specifically measured, effect on lactation in those ewes being treated pre-lambing. The effect of delayed (Groups DD, DO) and/or reduced (Group DD) pasture contamination was considered to be additive to the earlier lactation response. Treatment of lambs at 12 weeks did not obscure these responses.     

The effect of weather on the occurrence and magnitude of periparturient rise in trichostronglyid nematode egg output in Dorper ewes in a semi-arid area of Kajiado District of Kenya

An investigation was carried out to assess the effects of weather on the occurrence and magnitude of the periparturient rise (PPR) in trichostrongylid nematode egg output in breeding Dorper ewes. The study was conducted over three breeding seasons on a ranch in the semi-arid area of Kajiado District in Kenya between June 1999 and December 2001. During each breeding season 20 ewes randomly selected from the breeding stock and 20 others selected from the unmated yearlings were monitored for faecal strongyle egg counts every 3 weeks. The lambing seasons were timed to coincide with the onset of the short rains (October–November 1999), the mid-short rains (November–December 2000) and the end of the dry season (September–October 2001). In each season higher egg outputs were recorded in the peri-parturient ewes compared to the unmated yearlings. The highest PPR occurred in September 2001, when lambing coincided with the end of the dry season, possibly as a result of maturation of hypobiotic larvae. The lowest PPR occurred in November 2000 when the onset of lambing coincided with the mid-short rains, possibly owing to low pasture infectivity associated with a long dry spell between January and October of the same year. The results of this study indicate that PPR occurred when lambing coincided with both the wet and the dry seasons. However, the magnitude was greatly influenced by the season when lambing occurred. It was also influenced by resumption of development of hypobiotic larvae and the nutritional status of the ewes. Not only should control of gastrointestinal nematode parasites in this area aim at preventing the occurrence of PPR by treating ewes 2–3 weeks before they are to lamb and during lactation, but the anthelmintic used must also eliminate hypobiotic larvae. In addition, the animals must be given supplementary feeding during this period.     

Inhibited development of trichostrongylids of sheep in northern Nigeria.

Worm counts from Yankassa ewes, lambs and tracer lambs grazing unimproved pasture at Zaria were obtained each month during the rainy season of 1976. In June and July up to 14 per cent of the Haemonchus contortus populations consisted of early fourth stage larvae (L4). In August this increased to more than 55 per cent and in October to more than 95 per cent. From June to August most of the abundant late L4 contained rodlike crystals. More than 95 per cent of the Haemonchus contortus populations of two lambs killed two weeks after infection with infective larvae, cultured for seven days at 25 degrees to 30 degrees C in the dark, were early L4. Inhibited 3rd stage Trichostrongylus spp did not exceed 26 per cent of the worm populations.     

Termination of arrested development of the trichostrongyles of sheep in northern Nigeria.

Monthly worm counts of groups of ewes and lambs that grazed continuously and tracer lambs revealed that under the conditions existing in northern Nigeria, most of the Haemonchus contortus in sheep between November and March were arrested larvae. During the months of April and May, almost equal proportions of adults, developmental stages and arrested larvae were recovered and, by June, only adults and developmental stages were recovered in high numbers. The proportion of arrested larvae had diminished considerably. A similar pattern was recorded for Trichostrongylus spp, except that fewer larvae were involved in arrested development and very large numbers of adults were recovered throughout the duration of the study. Maturation of arrested larvae occurs in April.     

Gastrointestinal Nematode Populations in Stabled Ewes of Rimouski Region

Nematode populations is stabled ewes of the Rimouski region were studied by means of fecal worm egg counts, fecal culture of larvae, and worm counts at necropsy. It was found that during the winter strongyle egg counts were low, Trichostrongylus eggs being most numerous, The stronglye egg counts increased following lambing and reached peak in June. Ostertagia spp was the principal contributor to this “spring-rise”, with substantial contribution from Trichostrongylus and Haemonchus contortus. The bulk of adult worm populations in winter, however, was made up of Trichostrongylus, whereas the great majority of the populations of Ostertagia spp, H. contortus and Nematodirus spp were inhibited in development at the fourth larval stage. All the worms recovered at necropsy in spring were adults, coinciding with the “spring-rise”.     

Comparison of performance of F1 Romanov crossbred ewes with wool and hair breeds during spring lambing under intensive and extensive production systems

The objective was to evaluate wool (Dorset and Rambouillet) and hair (Dorper, Katahdin, and White Dorper) breeds for their ability to complement Romanov germplasm in two distinct production systems by estimating direct sire and grandsire effects on lamb growth, survival, and ewe productivity traits. Rams of the five breeds (n = 75) were mated to Romanov ewes (n = 459) over a 3-yr period to produce five types of crossbred lambs (n = 2,739). Sire breed (P > 0.06) did not impact body weight or survival traits of the first-generation crossbred (F1) lambs. The productivity of retained crossbred ewes (n = 830) mated to Suffolk and Texel terminal sires was evaluated at 1, 2, and 3 yr of age in each production system. In the intensive production system, labor and harvested feed were provided for sheep that lambed in March in barns, and ewes were limited to rearing two lambs with additional lambs reared artificially. Ewes in the extensive production system lambed in May on pasture and were responsible for rearing all lambs born with no labor or supplemental feed provided before weaning. A total of 1,962 litters and 4,171 lambs from 2,229 exposures to two terminal sire breeds (Suffolk and Texel) were produced in the experiment. Crossbred ewes in the intensive production system were mated in October, resulting in larger litter sizes than crossbred ewes mated in December for the extensive production system. However, single- and twin-born lamb mortality was similar between the two systems that differed greatly in labor, feed, and facilities. Lambs produced in the intensive system received concentrate feed from an early age and were heavier at 24 wk of age than lambs produced in the extensive system. These outcomes resulted in greater 24-wk litter weight in the intensive than in the extensive system (P < 0.0001). Unexpectedly, the relative performance of crossbred types did not differ importantly between production systems. White Dorper × Romanov crossbred ewes had numerical advantages in productivity in each system; however, differences between ewe types were not significant. In the extensive system, without labor and shelter at lambing or supplemental feed until weaning, 3-yr-old crossbred ewes of all types averaged 1.78 lambs marketed per ewe lambing, and 40% of the ewes that gave birth to triplets weaned their entire litters. These results document that prolific sheep and extensive systems can be successfully combined if appropriate crossbred types are used.     

Comparing control strategies for parasitic gastro-enteritis in lambs grazed on previously contaminated pasture: A network modelling approach

In practice, protection against ovine ostertagiasis in sheep-management systems is generally achieved by anthelmintic treatment and pasture switching. This paper uses a network model to describe the dynamics of the life-cycle of the parasite when ewes and lambs commence spring grazing on pasture which is contaminated. The model enables the efficacy of several recognised control strategies, involving various frequencies of drug application, to be assessed in regulating the adult worm burden of the lamb. The results indicate that dosing ewes at lambing does not provide adequate control. If lambs only are dosed 6 times between May and September significant control is achieved. Combining ewe and lamb treatments only marginally enhances the level of control obtained by the treatment of lambs alone. However, the most effective method of control was to dose lambs 3 times in May–June and on moving lambs to clean pasture at weaning.     

产羔期、补饲水平对考力代羊生产和繁殖性能影响的研究

为了研究草地一绵羊系统中草畜供求间的动态平衡，寻求在人工草地放牧条件下适宜的产羔时期及在此时期给产羔母羊的合理补饲水平，１９９０～１９９３年，在贵州省威宁县灼甫联户示范牧场进行了两期产羔期及补饲水平对绵羊生产性能影响的试验。产羔期的改变，导致了母羊及羔羊体重的不同变化趋势。结果显示出母羊体重对其生产、繁殖性能的重要性。春羔母羊配种前体重较之冬羔母羊提高９．７５ｋｇ，两者产羔率分别为１３９．２％和１１６．１％。春羔母羊较高的双羔率导致了春羔母羊较之冬羔母羊更低的繁殖成活率（分别为９１．２％和１０４．７％）。断奶时，春羔较之冬羔体重高５．２５ｋｇ，但断奶以后这种优势即消失了。补饲水平的差异对母羊及羔羊体重有一定的影响，但在牧草丰富的条件下表现得并不很强烈。     

Results of a crossbreeding experiment with sheep for different systems of fat lamb production. I. Reproductive traits

A crossbreeding experiment with sheep was carried out at two of the University's experimental stations between 1969 and 1973. On farm I ewes of five groups of different first crosses were tested against the indigenous purebred Merinoland sheep for five lambing periods. The ewes were kept under an accelerated lambing programme, the lambs were reared artificially. On farm II the same domestic breed was tested against three first cross lines with spring lambing and ewes suckling their lambs for 5 to 8 weeks. Each test group consisted of at least 50 ewes made up of 10 halfsib groups. 10 rams of each of four exotic fat lamb sire lines were hand-mated to the ewes. In addition, purebred and special control matings were carried out. All ewes in the experiment were of the same age.The data were analyzed by least squares procedures for different reproductive traits (gestation length, litter size for lambs born and reared, litter weight, score for lambing difficulties) and by simple one-way classifications for various others (lambs born and reared per ewe and year, lambing frequency, body weight, fleece weight, wool income).Since no significant interactions among main effects were detected for any trait, the presentation of the results emphasizes the general combining ability of the sire and dam lines. No significant differences were found between sire lines on both farms in all traits except gestation length. For the most important reproductive traits the differences between the dam lines were highly significant, the Finnish Landrace crosses being the best in both lambing frequency and number of lambs per litter. The superiority of these crosses cannot be maintained for the number of lambs reared and slaughtered, if, like in farm II, facilities are not available to rear lambs of large litters without high losses.     

Long-acting selenium treatments for sheep

An intraruminal selenium (Se) pellet and a subcutaneous depot of barium selenate, equivalent to 1.6 mg Se/kg body weight, were each effective in maintaining increased blood Se concentrations for at least 200 weeks in ewes at pasture. These treatments given to the ewes 23 to 26 weeks before lambing increased the Se status of their lambs for 4 to 6 months.