Development of resistance to Trichostrongylus colubriformis in goats

A high level of host resistance to Trichostrongylus colubriformis was established in a group of Saanen goats infected weekly with 10,000 infective larvae for 10 weeks, treated with an anthelmintic and then challenged twice with 50,000 larvae, with a further anthelmintic treatment 28 days after the first challenge. A second group of goats exposed only to the two challenge infections developed worm burdens intermediate between, and significantly different from, the first group and a third control group given only the second challenge infection. Nematode fecundity (eggs per female) and male:female ratios were also significantly decreased in the first two groups. Faecal egg counts and worm counts were highly correlated and this relationship was dominated by the influence of the number of eggs/female nematode. The goats were approximately 9 months old at the start of the experiment.