Comparison of two progestogens during out-of-season breeding in a commercial ewe flock

A comparison was made of the relative effectiveness of subcutaneous ear implants containing 2 mg Norgestomet or vaginal pessaries containing 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) to induce estrus and conception in dry anestrous ewes. Groups of ewes were treated with one of the two progestogens for 14 d, and 500 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) was administered intramuscularly at the time of progestogen withdrawal. No significant differences in estrus induction, pregnancy rate or number of lambs born per ewe lambing were observed. Ewes treated with Norgestomet had 96% estrus, 60% pregnancy rate and 1.4 lambs per ewe lambing. Comparably, ewes treated with MAP had 94% estrus, 65% pregnancy rate and 1.7 lambs per ewe lambing. Norgestomet implants compared favorably with MAP pessaries for estrus induction and breeding of commercial, dry anestrous ewes.

The epidemiological control of nematodes in New England lambs

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.

Efficacy of levamisole against immature and mature nematodes in goats with induced infections

Anthelmintic efficacy of levamisole against induced infections with 7- and 21-day-old Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia circumcincta, Trichostrongylus axei, and T colubriformis was evaluated as an oral drench in goats. Group 1 (n = 8) was not treated, group 2 (n = 8) was given 3.96 mg of levamisole/kg of body weight, group 3 (n = 8) was given 7.92 mg of levamisole/kg, and group 3 (n = 7) was given 11.88 mg of levamisole/kg. Efficacy against all worms was low in goats given 3.96 mg of levamisole/kg, but was high against adult H contortus (99%) and adult T colubriformis (99.7%) in goats given 7.92 mg of levamisole/kg. Although efficacy against adults of all species was high in goats given 11.88 mg of levamisole/kg, some immature worms of all species remained in the abomasa of goats.

Selection of ivermectin-resistant Trichostrongylus colubriformis in lambs

A mixed population of Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia circumcincta and Trichostrongylus colubriformis was passed for four generations through lambs. In successive passages and on Day 6 (D6), lambs were dosed subcutaneously with ivermectin at 100, 200, 250 and 225 micrograms kg-1 body weight, respectively. No larvae of H. contortus were recovered after the first passage and following the third drug exposure only T. colubriformis was present. Larvae of the selected strain of T. colubriformis developed to third stage, sheathed larvae in vitro in concentrations of ivermectin that inhibited development of larvae from the original strain of T. colubriformis. A definitive control test was then run with 45 lambs, to compare this selected strain to the original strain. The treatments were 150 micrograms kg-1 subcutaneous (SC) D6, 200 micrograms kg-1 SC D6, 200 micrograms kg-1 intraruminal (IR) D6 and 200 micrograms kg-1 SC D21; all treatments were compared to non-treated controls, selected or original strain as applicable. The D6 IR and D6 SC 150 micrograms kg-1 treatments were greater than 99% effective in both strains, although the D6 SC 200 micrograms kg-1 treatment was 85 and 48% effective in the original and selected strain, respectively. The D21 200 micrograms kg-1 was only 58% effective against the selected strain. There was significant (P less than 0.001) differences between the original and selected strains of T. colubriformis for both fecal egg output and worm counts. The exposure of four generations of immature T. colubriformis to ivermectin selected for partial resistance.

Larval development test for detection of anthelmintic resistant nematodes

The growth, using freshly cultured Escherichia coli with ampicillin or heat-treated lyophilised E coli as a food source, of the larvae of the mouse nematode Nematospiroides dubius and the infectivity of resulting third stage larvae were determined. Concentrations of E coli between 0.5 and 1 mg dry weight ml-1 permitted optimal larval development for both N dubius and Trichostrongylus colubriformis. Development of larvae of susceptible and cambendazole-resistant strains of Haemonchus contortus in thiabendazole solutions showed clear differences between the strains and the larval development test was more sensitive than the egg hatch test. The test also detected a levamisole resistant strain of H contortus, although the degree of resistance could not be adequately measured. It is concluded that the test can be run with any anthelmintic to which resistance is suspected.

Use of anthelmintics by New England sheep producers

Six hundred and sixty-five New England sheep producers responded to a postal survey on management practices, anthelmintic use, and the perceived failure of anthelmintics to control nematodes. Although the average farm had 34.8 lambs and 29.8 stock sheep, 59.8% and 50.3% of the total number of lambs and stock sheep were on 16.5% of the farms, which had greater than 50 lambs. About 54% of the lambs were born in January and February. Spring markets and confinement rearing were popular, as only 45.7% of the total lambs grazed summer pasture. Most producers (81.5%) treated their stock sheep (and lambs) for nematodiasis 2 to 4 times per year (mean, 3.3), generally before lambing, before pasturing, midsummer, and/or before breeding. Only 27.5% of the producers indicated distinct drenching management for grazing lambs. There was little use of preventive control, such as spring prophylaxis (0.5%) or dosing in midsummer and moving animals to safe pasture (2.9%). More than one anthelmintic class was used on 59.6% of the farms, with a mean of 1.88 anthelmintics per farm. Though 53.7% of the producers had a policy of alternating anthelmintic classes within a year, only 11.6% alternated anthelmintics annually. Levamisole and thiabendazole were the anthelmintics most frequently used by 81.8% and 61.6% of producers, respectively. However, 26.5% and 16.2% of the farms used fenbendazole and phenothiazine, respectively. The presence of gastrointestinal nematode resistance to anthelmintics was suggested, because 35.4% of the producers had discontinued using at least one anthelmintic that they considered to be ineffective. The anthelmintic that was most frequently discontinued was thiabendazole.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)