An in-vitro technique for studying fleece-rot and fly strike in sheep

Fleece-rot was experimentally induced in-vitro by wetting and incubating Merino wool samples embedded in serum-agar. Gravid Lucilia cuprina were readily-attracted to these wool culture plates to oviposit. Where serum was freely available to newly-hatched larvae, fly strike and larval development ensued. Using this technique, fleece-rot and oviposition were found to be markedly influenced by the availability of protein and by bacterial activity, particularly that of Pseudomonas spp. The results indicated that odours emanating from wool culture plates containing the latter species played an important role in oviposition. Furthermore, these events varied according to the type of fleece selected, and could be prevented by the addition of a bactericide.