Faecal soiling and gastrointestinal helminth infection in lambs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Parasitology
• Animal Science
• Sheep Production

Background:

• Faecal soiling in lambs, accumulation of feces in breech wool, predisposes sheep to blowfly strike.
• Understanding the causes of faecal soiling in UK lambs is crucial for effective management.
• Gastrointestinal parasitic nematode infections are suspected contributors to faecal soiling and diarrhoea.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationships between faecal soiling, gastrointestinal parasitic nematode infection, and diarrhoea in lambs.
• To identify key factors influencing faecal soiling in young sheep.
• To evaluate the potential of dag scoring for targeted parasite control.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 200 individually tagged lambs over one summer.
• Recording of faecal egg counts, pasture worm burdens, faecal soiling (dag scores), and growth rates.
• Collection of data on pasture quality (protein, fibre), grass growth, and weather conditions.

Main Results:

• Faecal soiling was significantly associated with higher strongyle-type egg counts.
• Factors linked to soiling included longer periods since worming, lower live-weights, female gender, reduced faecal consistency, and poorer pasture quality.
• Dag scoring showed potential as a non-invasive method for identifying lambs with high parasite burdens.

Conclusions:

• Dag scoring in mid- to late summer can identify lambs with high faecal egg counts for selective anthelmintic treatment.
• Targeted drenching based on dag scores can help reduce anthelmintic resistance.
• This approach is expected to improve the control of blowfly strike in sheep flocks.