Production losses in Merino ewes and financial penalties caused by trichostrongylid infections during winter and spring

SUMMARY: The productivity of Merino ewes treated with ivermectin and a controlled-release capsule containing albendazole was compared with untreated ewes grazing the same pastures on each of 3 farms. Treated breeding ewes had significantly increased greasy fleece weights (GFW, 6.5% and 7.1%) compared with untreated breeding ewes, on 2 of 3 farms but treatment caused no significant increase in the GFW of non-breeding ewes. Other benefits of treatment on all farms were a significant increase in body weight gain (from 1.7 to 3.7 kg) and a significant decrease in the weight of dag removed at crutching (from 42 to 622 g). These benefits occurred despite the presence on each farm of worms resistant to benzimidazoles. One disadvantage of treatment was an increase in mean fibre diameter of wool from treated ewes of from 0.12 to 0.41 μm. This increase reduces the value of the wool. Partial budgets indicated a net loss of from 8 to 62 cents per ewe for treatment. However, potential benefits such as increased growth rate and wool production from lambs of treated ewes were not included in the analysis. On one farm ewes were classified as ‘susceptible’ to severe dag if they had a dag score ≥ 4 at the time of capsule treatment. Ewes classified as ‘susceptible’ were about 7 times more likely to develop severe dag than were other ewes. There was no significant difference between the GFW of untreated ‘susceptible’ ewes and untreated ewes not classified as ‘susceptible’. Additionally, the response of GFW to treatment was no different to the response seen in ewes that were not classified as ‘susceptible’. The direct cost of diarrhoea and dag formation in Merino ewes was estimated to be 18, 30, 53, 86, 98 and 145 cents per head for ewes with a dag score of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. This cost did not include potential benefits from reduced risk of breech strike, or intangible benefits associated with the improved welfare of sheep.     

Worm infections in high and low bodyweight Merino ewes during winter and spring

Objective   To compare infections of gastrointestinal nematodes in 2-year-old ('maiden') spring-lambing Merino ewes in the upper and lower 25% of body weights (BW) at joining.
Design   An observational study over two consecutive years on two farms in western Victoria.
Methods   On each farm, ewes were weighed at the end of mating. Ewes within the upper and lower quartile of BW formed two groups that grazed together for the remainder of the year. On each farm, 20 ewes from each group were also treated with controlled release capsules containing ivermectin to minimise the effects of parasitism. Measures of worm infections were worm egg counts, total worm counts and assessment of breech soiling ('dag score'). Measures of production were BW, numbers of deaths, pregnant ewes and weaned lambs in each group, and response to treatment with a capsule.
Results   No consistent difference was found in mean worm egg counts between ewes in the high and low BW groups and total worm counts of ewes before lambing were not significantly different in either year. Breech soiling of low BW ewes was consistently higher on both farms in both years. Those ewes also reared 7% to 14% fewer lambs. The difference in BW between the low and high groups remained highly significant on both farms throughout both years.
Conclusion   A strategic approach to worm control is appropriate for ewes in both high and low BW categories. Management options for low BW ewes include culling, supplementary feeding to increase BW before mating, or delaying mating for 12 months.     

Variation among Merino sheep in susceptibilty to lice (Bovicola ovis) and association with susceptibility to trichostrongylid gastrointestinal parasites.

Sheep of two bloodlines of Merino were artificially infested with equal numbers of lice (Bovicola ovis) and the resulting louse populations were monitored over the following 20 months. The sheep were shorn 6 and 17 months after infestation and, for analysis, the louse counts considered in 3 years separated by shearings. Nematode faecal egg counts (FECs) were assessed on faecal samples collected on five occasions, three times following natural challenge and twice after artificial challenge with 40,000 trichostrongyloid larvae (84% Trichostrongylus vitrinus). In addition, blood samples were collected and measured for B. ovis-specific immunoglobulins (predominantly IgG), B. ovis-specific IgE and serum total IgE. Bloodlines differed significantly in the size of louse populations at the end of year 2, FEC after both natural and artificial challenge and in serum levels of all three antibodies (p<0.05). There were also large variations in louse counts and FEC among sheep within bloodlines. Louse counts at inspections after louse populations had been allowed to build up were highly repeatable, both between and within years. However, correlations with counts at inspections soon after initial infestation and following shearing were lower. FEC after natural challenge was correlated with louse counts in year 2 (r=0.45, p<0.01) and year 3 (r=0.38, p<0.05), but the correlation with counts in year 1 was not significant (r=0.25, p>0.05). FEC following artificial challenge was significantly correlated with louse counts in year 3 (r=0.36, p<0.05), but not in year 2 (r=0.25, p>0.05) or year 1 (r=0.04, p>0.05). Louse counts in the 3 years were significantly correlated with anti-B. ovis antibody concentration (r=0.60, 0.48, 0.36), but not with levels of either anti-B. ovis or total serum IgE.These results suggest that sheep with greater resistance to gastrointestinal parasites also tend to be less susceptible to lice. Whether this is due to interaction of the effects of the parasites or to correlation in underlying resistance mechanisms requires clarification.     

Pasture infectivity with trichostrongylid larvae in the northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria

For the study of pasture infectivity in the northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria, variable numbers of helminth-free tracer lambs grazing an unimproved pasture were slaughtered monthly throughout a period of 12 months. The numbers of worms recovered showed that large numbers of infective trichostrongyle larvae were ingested with the pasture from June till October. Infectivity started to decline from November until the end of January after which the pasture became completely free of parasitic nematode larvae and remained so until the end of May.     

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.     

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.     

球虫病引起的仔猪哺乳期腹泻

1生活周期了解猪等孢子球虫的生活周期对于了解球虫病的诊断方法、治疗手段和预防措施是非常重要的。在这个生活周期中,猪等孢子球虫有一个环境生活阶段(卵囊),在条件适当的情况下,卵囊的生活力可以保持长达一年,这一特性有利于该感染在产仔栏中的持     

Diarrhoea during Lactation:Coccidiosis

1生活周期 了解猪等孢子球虫的生活周期对于了解球虫病的诊断方法、治疗手段和预防措施是非常重要的.在这个生活周期中,猪等孢子球虫有一个环境生活阶段(卵囊),在条件适当的情况下,卵囊的生活力可以保持长达一年,这一特性有利于该感染在产仔栏中的持续存在.     

The effect of Johne's disease on production traits in Romney, Merino and Merino x Romney-cross ewes

AIM: To quantify the effects of clinical Johne's disease on the performance of Romney, Merino and Merino x Romney-cross ewes. METHODS: The performance of ewes was compared using eight birth cohorts (1971-1978). Merino and Merino-cross genotypes included New Zealand Merino and Australian Superfine Merino sources. Intensive monitoring of Johne's disease was undertaken over the production years 1975-1982. Positive diagnostic evidence of Johne's disease was established post mortem from lesions of granulomatous enteritis associated with high numbers of acid-fast bacilli. Over years, data on a total of 2,341 Romney ewes and 1,292 Merino and Merino x Romney-cross ewes were recorded, consisting of annual records of liveweight (LWT), greasy fleece weight (FWT), number of lambs born per ewe per year (NLB), and lifetime productivity of ewes. RESULTS: A total of 82 (3.5%) Romney ewes and 62 (4.8%) Merino and Merino x Romney-cross ewes were diagnosed with clinical Johne's disease over the 8-year monitoring period, equivalent to 0.9% and 1.2% annual cases for these breeds, respectively, of the ewes present at mating. The percentage of clinical cases (p<0.04) and the age at death from Johne's disease (p<0.02) were lower for Romneys than for Superfine Merinos. The mean age of death from Johne's disease was 3.41 (standard error (SE) 0.06) years, lower than the mean disposal age from the flock of 5.03 (SE 0.02) years for clinically normal ewes (p<0.001). In their final year of production, ewes with clinical Johne's disease had lower LWT by 5.3 kg (10.5% of the mean; p<0.001), lower annual FWT by 0.54 (SE 0.10) kg (14.2%; p<0.001), fewer NLB by 0.15 (SE 0.07) lambs (13%; p<0.05), and lower litter weaning weights by 3.6 (SE 1.3) kg (15%; p<0.01) compared with clinically normal ewes. The size of the production losses associated with Johne's disease depended on the age to which ewes survived. Considering all production years of ewes (up to 8 years), the total weight of lambs weaned by ewes with clinical Johne's disease was 30.9 (SE 3.4) kg lower (46%; p<0.001) than the total from clinically normal ewes. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical Johne's disease led to significant losses in LWT, FWT, NLB, and in the lifetime production of ewes, amounting overall to a 46% reduction in productivity (p<0.001). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Productivity losses from clinical cases of Johne's disease would be of considerable economic importance in flocks with a high incidence of the disease. The lack of good diagnostic tests for Johne's disease in the live animal, and the lack of active surveillance programmes, has made it difficult to establish the true prevalence of Johne's disease in sheep flocks in New Zealand, and its economic consequences.     

The integration of grazing management and summer treatments for the control of trichostrongylid infections in Merino weaners

OBJECTIVE: To compare two strategies for the preparation of pastures that have reduced trichostrongylid infections during winter and spring for Merino weaners. DESIGN: A replicated field experiment was conducted over two successive years. A 'standard' strategy, comprising set-stocked wethers given anthelmintic treatments in late October and early February, was compared with a 'new' one in which intensive grazing for 1 month after each treatment and destocking for 1 or 2 months was integrated with the anthelmintic treatments. Paddocks prepared according to these strategies were set-stocked at 15 Merino weaners/ha from April to October inclusively. RESULTS: Contamination of pastures prepared according to the new strategy was substantially reduced compared to those of the standard strategy. Worm counts showed that on new strategy paddocks the numbers of trichostrongylid larvae, except Nematodirus spp, were reduced by 50 to 95% compared to standard strategy paddocks. Worm egg counts from the set-stocked weaners were reduced by about 50% on new strategy paddocks from April to October. Weaners grazing the new strategy paddocks grew significantly more clean wool (254 g, P = 0.01) and were significantly heavier in October (3.2 kg, P = 0.01) than weaners in the standard strategy paddocks. The improved production was attributable partially to better pasture growth early in winter and partially to reduced parasitism. CONCLUSION: The new strategy is a simple, practical and widely applicable example of the integration of grazing management with strategically timed anthelmintic treatments to reliably reduce trichostrongylid infections in weaners grazing during winter and spring.     

Effects of challenge with trichostrongylid nematode larvae on immunologically resistant grazing yearling sheep in South Australia.

Paddocks near Gawler, South Australia, were grazed by newly weaned sheep which received either no anthelmintic treatment, regular 3-weekly treatment or a single treatment in February. A decline in the faecal egg count of untreated sheep in autumn associated with the ingestion of infective larvae indicated that the sheep had developed a resistance to reinfection. At the end of the experiment, 10 sheep were experimentally infected with Trichostrongylus vitrinus larvae to demonstrate this resistance. Untreated sheep grew less wool and had lower body weights when compared with treated animals and were extremely 'daggy'. A single treatment in February did not prevent production losses or scouring.     

Hemimelia and low marking percentage in a flock of Merino ewes and lambs

Hemimelia at a prevalence of 11% of lambs marked, and low marking percentage (51%) was observed in a flock of mixed age Merino ewes and their lambs. Hemimelia occurred in one or 2 limbs of affected lambs. Lambs from other flocks on the farm were unaffected, and the condition was not reported from other farms. The condition had not occurred in the past, and has not recurred. No infectious or hereditary factors were implicated in the aetiology of the condition. Grazing Western Australian Blue Lupin stubble by the affected flock during and after joining was the only known difference between this flock and others on the farm.     

Diarrhoea during lactation_Colibacilosis in lactating piglets

1病原学大肠杆菌(E.coli)(图1)是健康动物肠道正常菌群组成的一部分.通常,大肠杆菌是动物体内一种共有的菌株,它与肠道生态环境中的病原菌株通过几种方式产生竞争作用,从而有益于动物健康.     

The trichostrongylid egg output during spring in feedlot cattle

Larval cultures prepared from faeces collected at two-week intervals from feeder cattle originating from Michigan, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and kept in a feedlot in Michigan, were examined during the winter and spring of 1979. The animals received anthelmintic treatment shortly after entering the feedlot. The larval output, consisting mainly of Ostertagia larvae, was less than 20 larvae per g, but did show a seasonal increase during spring in the cattle originating from Kentucky and Michigan. This "spring rise" was not observed in the animals originating from Oklahoma which is thought to be related to a difference in transmission pattern of Ostertagia in the southwest as compared to the eastern and midwestern parts of the U.S.A.     

引起哺乳期仔猪腹泻的大肠杆菌病

1病原学大肠杆菌(E.coli)(图1)是健康动物肠道正常菌群组成的一部分。通常,大肠杆菌是动物体内一种共有的菌株,它与肠道生态环境中的病原菌株通过几种方式产生竞争作用,从而有益于动物健康。     

Enhancing immunity to nematode parasites in single-bearing Merino ewes through nutrition and genetic selection

The effectiveness of protein supplementation and genetic selection to enhance the resistance of periparturient Merino ewes to infection from gastrointestinal parasites was tested in a replicated grazing experiment. One hundred and twenty ewes from lines selected for increased resistance (R) to Haemonchus contortus or at random (C) were subjected to one of the three supplement groups that provided 0 or 250 g per day cottonseed meal for 5 weeks prior to, or for 6 weeks after the start of lambing. Faecal egg counts (FEC) of R ewes were consistently lower than those of C ewes but both groups exhibited a periparturient rise in FEC. Supplementation during the pre-partum period reduced FEC and increased ewe body weight gain. The benefits of pre-partum supplementation in reducing FEC continued to be apparent up to 10 weeks after supplementation ceased. There was a strong suggestion that the benefits to parasite resistance from protein supplementation were greatest in C ewes. Wool growth rates (15%) and birth weights (5%) were greater for C ewes but differences between the lines for lamb body weight had disappeared by day 97. The greatest benefit to resistance from protein supplementation was observed when ewes were experiencing a loss of maternal body weight. Conversely, no benefits to resistance were observed when ewes had moderate (78-107 g per day) rates of maternal weight gain. These results suggest that increased resistance as a result of protein supplementation is dependent on the prevailing supply and demand for scarce nutrients such as metabolisable protein (MP). Both genetic selection and protein nutrition are effective strategies to enhance host resistance to nematode infection during the periparturient period.