Parasitism in Ewes and Lambs in Relation to Season of Lambing

Southcott, W. H.; George, JM; Lewis, R.

doi:10.1111/j.1751-0813.1972.tb05076.x

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The level of infection imposed was well within the probable larval intake of free-grazing sheep in New Zealand where herbage is often contaminated with about 150 larvae/kg fresh weight around parturition (Brunsdon, 1970;Vlassoff, 1973Vlassoff, , 1976. Moreover, there is evidence in faecal egg counts for nematode infections in sheep during lactation in England (Boag & Thomas, 1971) and Australia (Southcott, George & Lewis, 1972). Milk production, wool growth and quality and body weight may be adversely affected in such circumstances.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of daily infection withOstertagia circumcinctalarvae on food intake, milk production and wool growth in sheep

1982

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYForty pregnant sheep were allocated to four groups and maintained indoors in individual pens on a pelleted diet. During the last 6 weeks of pregnancy and the first 6 weeks of lactation groups were infected daily with 4000 larvae of Ostertagia circumcincta or remained as controls in a cross-over design. Thus groups were either not infected (CC), infected only during pregnancy (IC), during lactation (CI) or during both pregnancy and lactation (II). Food was offered on the basis of body weight at the beginning of pregnancy and lactation. Food intake, body-weight change, faecal egg counts, plasma pepsinogen and milk production were measured weekly, wool growth and fibre diameter during 21-day periods and tensile strength of wool over the whole experimental period.Eggs were seen in faeces of only three sheep infected during pregnancy, but in all sheep infected during lactation; maximum mean values were 467 ± 144 and 222 ± 58 eggs/g fresh faeces in CI and II sheep, respectively. Pepsinogen concentrations rose after 1 week of infection during pregnancy and lactation; peak values were 868 + 57 and 1104 ± 146 m-u/l, respectively.Infection reduced food intake by 16% during lactation but had no effect during pregnancy. There were significant interactions between pregnancy and lactational treatments on intake during lactation. Infection during lactation increased bodyweight loss; mean values were 57, 40, 114 and 78 g/day for groups CC, IC, CI and II respectively. Milk production was decreased during weeks 4–6 of lactation, mean values being 1·59 and 1·32 kg/day in control and infected groups, respectively.Infection reduced wool growth and wool fibre diameter by 20 and 7%, respectively, during the final 3 weeks of infection during lactation. The staple strength of wool grown during the experiment was reduced by 14, 45 and 23% in IC, CI and II groups, respectively. Infection moved the point of greatest wool tenderness from parturition in control sheep to a time during the period of infection, particularly when infection occurred during lactation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of daily infection withOstertagia circumcinctalarvae on food intake, milk production and wool growth in sheep

1982

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may indicate the important role of prevailing weather in determining the success of the translation process of eggs to infective larvae (see below) . Southcott et al (1972) point out that, although the peri-parturient rise may sometimes be a more important source of infection for lambs than residual pasture infection, heavy pasture contamination by the ewe might be rendered ineffective because of unfavourable conditions for larval development and survival. Notwithstanding, the potential influence of the post-parturient rise on levels of infection in lambs during the postweaning period is minimised by the apparent widespread adoption by farmers of "blanket", strategic, lamb-drenching programmes commencing at or shortly after weaning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

An evaluation of the parasitological and production responses to a single pre-lambing anthelmintic treatment of ewes

Brunsdon

1974

New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Three trials were conducted in successive years to evaluate the parasitological and productivity responses, in both ewes and lambs. to a single pre-lambing treatment of ewes with thiabendazole.The treatment did not significantly increase the live-weight gain of lambs from birth to weaning, or significantly reduce the faecal egg count of lambs up to weaning.In one trial there was a significant increase in the greasy fleece weight of treated ewes, and in two trials there was a significant improvement in wool growth. In one trial there was a reduction in cotting and tenderness of wools from treated ewes. Treatment did not affect style grading of fleeces in any of the three trials.The results suggest that pre-lambing anthelmintic treatment of ewes is of doubtful economic value as a routine control procedure.

show abstract

“…On the one hand it is stated that the rises in egg output are unrelated to the season (2) and are determined by changes in host resistance during parturition and lactation (14), and on the other, that the rises occur at a particular point in the calendar (11). Cvetkovie et al (3) studying flocks of sheep lambing at different seasons saw a spring rise by calendar in barren and lambing ewes and a peri-parturient rise related to parturition date in other seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The peri‐parturient rise in sheep. Faecal worm egg counts in normal and late lambing ewes

Jansen

1987

Veterinary Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY The trichostrongylid and strongylid egg output in a group of ewes lambing in March, the middle of the usual lambing time in the Netherlands, was compared with counts in groups of older ewes and yearling ewes lambing in May-June and with counts in a group of barren ewes. The groups lambing in March showed only a rise related to parturition date as normally seen in the Netherlands. A few of the late lambing ewes showed a slight rise in spring, but all of them showed a peri-parturient rise related to parturition date. In the late lambing ewes and in the barren ewes egg counts due to reinfection were seen in summer.It is concluded that under the present circumstances a true spring rise, the calendar phenomenon, occurs very irregularly, while a peri-parturient rise related to the parturition date is a common phenomenon. The occurence of high egg counts in summer, excluding consideration on the barren ewes, in the late lambing ewes only, suggests that changing the traditional husbandry system may influence the epidemiological pattern of the trichostrongylid infections.

show abstract

Parasitism in Ewes and Lambs in Relation to Season of Lambing

Cited by 12 publications

References 12 publications

Effect of daily infection withOstertagia circumcinctalarvae on food intake, milk production and wool growth in sheep

Effect of daily infection withOstertagia circumcinctalarvae on food intake, milk production and wool growth in sheep

An evaluation of the parasitological and production responses to a single pre-lambing anthelmintic treatment of ewes

The peri‐parturient rise in sheep. Faecal worm egg counts in normal and late lambing ewes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About