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A model to account for the consequences of host nutrition on the outcome of gastrointestinal parasitism in sheep: model evaluation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2007

D. VAGENAS ,
S. C. BISHOP  and
I. KYRIAZAKIS
D. VAGENAS*
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition and Health Department, SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
S. C. BISHOP
Affiliation:
Roslin Institute, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK
I. KYRIAZAKIS
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition and Health Department, SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Trikalon 224, 43100, Karditsa, Greece
*
*Corresponding author: Animal Nutrition and Health Department, SAC, Bush Estate, Penicuick, Edinburgh EH26 0PH, UK. Tel: +44 131 5353319. Fax: +44 131 5353121. E-mail: Dimitrios.Vagenas@sac.ac.uk
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Summary

This paper describes sensitivity analyses and expectations obtained from a mathematical model developed to account for the effects of host nutrition on the consequences of gastrointestinal parasitism in sheep. The scenarios explored included different levels of parasitic challenge at different planes of nutrition, for hosts differing only in their characteristics for growth. The model was able to predict the consequences of host nutrition on the outcome of parasitism, in terms of worm burden, number of eggs excreted per gram faeces and animal performance. The model outputs predict that conclusions on the ability of hosts of different characteristics for growth to cope with parasitism (i.e. resistance) depend on the plane of nutrition. Furthermore, differences in the growth rate of sheep, on their own, are not sufficient to account for differences in the observed resistance of animals. The model forms the basis for evaluating the consequences of differing management strategies and environments, such as breeding for certain traits associated with resistance and nutritional strategies, on the consequences of gastrointestinal parasitism on sheep.

Keywords

mathematical modelsheepparasitismnematodesnutritionanorexia
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 134 , Issue 9 , August 2007 , pp. 1279 - 1289
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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