The epidemiological control of nematodes in New England lambs

Cornell Vet. 1989 Oct;79(4):327-38.

Abstract

Epidemiological control of nematodes in weaned lambs in New England was investigated over three grazing seasons (n = 58, n = 52 and n = 62 lambs, respectively). Spring prophylactic treatment, clean pasture and mid-summer treat-and-move to hayfield strategies were compared to traditional fall treatments (control). In these studies when lambs were weaned prior to grazing, the most abundant nematodes were Nematodirus sp. Under these conditions, where only low levels of Haemonchus contortus were present, no significant improvement in body weight gain was observed for the epidemiologic approaches compared to the traditional fall treatments. No untreated control was used, and fecal egg counts and pasture larval counts indicate low total worm burdens with a controllable fall rise in pasture infectivity. These results indicate the importance of hypobiosis for the survival of H. contortus and suggest that weaning lambs prior to grazing can be an effective epidemiological control practice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn / parasitology*
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Female
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / epidemiology
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / prevention & control
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / veterinary*
  • Male
  • Nematode Infections / epidemiology
  • Nematode Infections / prevention & control
  • Nematode Infections / veterinary*
  • New England
  • Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
  • Sheep
  • Sheep Diseases / epidemiology
  • Sheep Diseases / parasitology*
  • Sheep Diseases / prevention & control
  • Weight Gain