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Spring rise in faecal worm-egg counts of housed sheep, and its importance in nutritional experiments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

A. C. Field ,
M. R. Brambell  and
J. Allan Campbell
A. C. Field
Affiliation:
Biochemistry and Parasitology Departments, Moredun Institute, Gilmerton, Edinburgh, 9
M. R. Brambell
Affiliation:
Biochemistry and Parasitology Departments, Moredun Institute, Gilmerton, Edinburgh, 9
J. Allan Campbell
Affiliation:
Biochemistry and Parasitology Departments, Moredun Institute, Gilmerton, Edinburgh, 9
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Extract

1. A spring-rise in faecal strongyloid egg count is described in sheep housed under conditions designed to prevent reinfestation. Large rises were observed in the majority of 3-year-old breeding ewes and primiparous ewe-hoggs, and occasional small rises occurred in nulliparous ewe-hoggs and wether-hoggs.

2. Falls were observed in the packed red-cell volumes of ewes during the period of spring-rise and a close inverse correlation was found between packed-cell volumes and transformed worm egg counts. No evidence was obtained to attribute the falls in packed-cell volume to factors other than worm burden.

3. The fall in packed-cell volume was partially alleviated by feeding of one type of perennial rye-grass, but no direct effect of feeding on the worm-egg output was found.

4. Theories of spring-rise are discussed and the conclusion reached that latent overwintering larvae must play a major part generally in the phenomenon.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 50 , Issue 3-4 , November 1960 , pp. 387 - 399
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1960

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