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McFarland C, Rose Vineer H, Chesney L, Henry N, Brown C, Airs P, Nicholson C, Scollan N, Lively F, Kyriazakis I, Morgan ER. Tracking gastrointestinal nematode risk on cattle farms through pasture contamination mapping. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:691-703. [PMID: 36113619 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites in grazing cattle are a major cause of production loss and their control is increasingly difficult due to anthelmintic resistance and climate change. Rotational grazing can support control and decrease reliance on chemical intervention, but is often complex due to the need to track grazing periods and infection levels, and the effect of weather on larval availability. In this paper, a simulation model was developed to predict the availability of infective larvae of the bovine GIN, Ostertagia ostertagi, at the level of individual pastures. The model was applied within a complex rotational grazing system and successfully reproduced observed variation in larval density between fields and over time. Four groups of cattle in their second grazing season (n = 44) were followed throughout the temperate grazing season with regular assessment of GIN faecal egg counts, which were dominated by O. ostertagi, animal weight and recording of field rotations. Each group of cattle was rotationally grazed on six group-specific fields throughout the 2019 grazing season. Maps and calendars were produced to illustrate the change in pasture infectivity (density of L3 on herbage) across the 24 separate grazing fields. Simulations predicted differences in pasture contamination levels in relation to the timing of grazing and the return period. A proportion of L3 was predicted to persist on herbage over winter, declining to similar intensities across fields before the start of the following grazing season, irrespective of contamination levels in the previous year. Model predictions showed good agreement with pasture larval counts. The model also simulated differences in seasonal pasture infectivity under rotational grazing in systems that differed in temperature and rainfall profiles. Further application could support individual farm decisions on evasive grazing and refugia management, and improved regional evaluation of optimal grazing strategies for parasite control. The integration of weather and livestock movement is inherent to the model, and facilitates consideration of climate change adaptation through improved disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher McFarland
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK.
| | - Hannah Rose Vineer
- Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Cheshire CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Lauren Chesney
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK; Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT16 6DR, UK
| | - Nicole Henry
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Claire Brown
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Paul Airs
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Christine Nicholson
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT16 6DR, UK
| | - Nigel Scollan
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Francis Lively
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT16 6DR, UK
| | - Ilias Kyriazakis
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK; Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT16 6DR, UK
| | - Eric R Morgan
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Biological Sciences, 19, Chlorine Gardens, BT9 5DL, UK
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Barrett D, Parr M, Fagan J, Johnson A, Tratalos J, Lively F, Diskin M, Kenny D. Prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV), Bovine Herpes Virus 1 (BHV 1), Leptospirosis and Neosporosis, and associated risk factors in 161 Irish beef herds. BMC Vet Res 2018; 14:8. [PMID: 29304782 PMCID: PMC5756399 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-1324-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There are limited data available, in Ireland or elsewhere, to determine the extent of exposure to various endemic diseases among beef cows and factors associated with exposure to causative pathogens. The objectives of this study were to determine the herd and within herd prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV), Bovine Herpes Virus 1 (BHV-1), Leptospirosis and Neosporosis in a large scale study of commercial beef herds on the island of Ireland, and to examine herd level factors associated with exposure to these pathogens in these herds. Results The average number of cows tested per herd was 35.5 (median 30). Herd level seroprevalence to Bovine Herpesvirus-1(BHV-1), Bovine Viral-Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV), Leptospirosis and Neosporosis was 90%, 100%, 91% and 67%, respectively, while the mean within herd prevalence for the these pathogens was 40%, 77.7%, 65.7% and 5.7%, respectively. The study confirms that the level of seroconversion for the four pathogens of interest increases with herd size. There was also evidence that exposure to one pathogen may increase the risk of exposure to another pathogen. Conclusions Herd level seroprevalences were in excess of 90% for BVDV, BHV-1 and Leptosporosis. Larger herds were subject to increased exposure to disease pathogens. This study suggests that exposure to several pathogens may be associated with the further exposure to other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Barrett
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, SAT Division, Admin Building, Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
| | - Mervyn Parr
- Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany, Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland
| | - John Fagan
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Athlone RVL, Co. Westmeath, Athlone, Ireland
| | - Alan Johnson
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Limerick RVL, Limerick, Co. Limerick, Ireland
| | - Jamie Tratalos
- Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Francis Lively
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, 18a Newforge Lane, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland
| | | | - David Kenny
- Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany, Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland
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