Attempts to immunise sheep against Ostertagia circumcincta with irradiated larvae

Mature sheep immunised with two doses of 10,000 irradiated Ostertagia circumcincta larvae were only slightly resistant to challenge with a single dose of 10,000 larvae. This slight resistance was abolished if the 'vaccine' worm population was removed one week before challenge. In contrast, seven of eight sheep immunised with irradiated Haemonchus contortus larvae were highly resistant to homologous challenge. Evidence of some cross protection against challenge with O circumcinta was observed in five of six sheep immunised with irradiated H contortus in that egg counts were lower and more worms were retarded as fourth stage larvae.