Dairy goat production and the importance of gastrointestinal strongyle parasitism

In recent years, demand for goat products has increased in both developing and developed countries. Goat production (particularly dairy), however, is negatively affected by several factors, including infectious and parasitic diseases. Among the latter, gastrointestinal strongyle infection remains one of the main constraints to dairy goat production. In this mini-review, we emphasize the negative influence of these parasites, associated with subclinical production losses and depressive impacts upon long-term animal productivity, as well as the scarcity of studies on this topic. Finally, the necessity of reducing the use of anthelminthics and thus minimizing residues in food and the environment is stressed.