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Is the establishment rate and fecundity of Haemonchus contortus related to body or abomasal measurements in sheep?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2011

A. Idris ,
E. Moors ,
C. Budnick ,
A. Herrmann ,
G. Erhardt  and
M. Gauly
A. Idris*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Georg August University, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
E. Moors
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Georg August University, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
C. Budnick
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University, Ludwigstraße 21B, D-35390 Giessen, Germany
A. Herrmann
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University, Ludwigstraße 21B, D-35390 Giessen, Germany
G. Erhardt
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University, Ludwigstraße 21B, D-35390 Giessen, Germany
M. Gauly
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Georg August University, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
*
†E-mail: aidris@gwdg.de
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Abstract

The relationship among parasitological parameters, abomasal size and body size measurements was investigated in lambs following an experimental infection with Haemonchus contortus. In total, 100 lambs from five different genotypes (German Merino (GM), Texel × GM, Suffolk × GM, German Blackhead Mutton × GM and Ile de France × GM) were experimentally infected with 5000 infective third stage larvae of H. contortus at the time of weaning at 12 weeks of age. Four and six weeks after infection, individual faecal samples were collected for estimation of faecal egg counts (FECs). Furthermore, wither height, shoulder width, heart girth, loin girth and body length were taken at 18 weeks of life. Lambs were slaughtered and necropsied 7 weeks post-infection, and worm counts, abomasal volume and surface area were determined. Positive correlations were found between different body size parameters, body weight and abomasal sizes. FEC and worm counts were not significantly correlated either with body size parameters or with abomasal size. The mean worm burden was higher in GM than in crossbred lambs. There was no significant difference in abomasal size between GM and crossbred lambs. The results suggest that the variations between animals in worm burden following an experimental infection with H. contortus (worm resistance) are not influenced by body size parameters or abomasal sizes. Therefore, other factors, including genetic-based differences in resistance, must cause these findings between and within breeds.

Keywords

sheepHaemonchus contortusabomasal sizebody measurements
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 8 , August 2011 , pp. 1276 - 1282
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

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