11.3.2: Dealing with parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) Flashcards
True/false: in pet ruminants such as camelids and goats, endoparasites tend to cause mild disease.
False
* In these ruminants endoparasites can often cause very severe disease. This is both because of the management of these animals by smallholders, and the inherently susceptible nature of the species to parasites.
* Camelids are inherently very susceptible as they are evolutionarily used to high altitudes and low stocking densities where there is minimal parasitic challenge.
After the first grazing season, cattle and sheep will develop immunity to most endoparasites. What are the exceptions to this?
- Fluke (sheep and cattle)
- Haemonchus (sheep)
- With lungworm (cattle) immunity in short-lived
True/false: internal parasites are considered a minor problem in most UK sheep systems.
False
Internal parasites are considered the most important production-limiting disease in the UK sheep system.
Which endoparasites cause PGE in cattle and sheep?
GI nematodes (roundworms)
* Trichostrongylus
* Teladorsagia
* Nematodirus battus
* Haemonchus
* Ostertagia ostertagi
* Cooperia oncophora
* (Trichostrongylus axei)
The life cycle of which parasite is shown here?
Nematodirus
Which presents more of a challenge: trickle, low level infectious challenge, or abrupt high infectious challenge? Why is this the case?
- Trickle, low level infectious challenge over time allows immunity to develop without clinical signs of disease
- Abrupt, high level infectious challenge encountered over a short period of time exceeds the threshold and causes clinical/subclinical disease
- Avoiding all challenge means the animals are naïve and susceptible to infection
True/false: a worm control programme should centre around total elimination of the given parasite.
False
Worm control programmes are about reducing worm burdens to levels that can be tolerated without causing disease.
This diagram shows some parasitic causes of diarrhoea in sheep. What cause(s) is represented by 1?
Coccidiosis and Cryptosporidium
This diagram shows some parasitic causes of diarrhoea in sheep. What cause(s) is represented by 2?
Nematodirus
This diagram shows some parasitic causes of diarrhoea in sheep. What cause(s) is represented by 3?
Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus
What parasites can cause diarrhoea in sheep?
- Coccidiosis/cryptosporidium
- Nematodirus
- Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus
Describe the life cycle of Nematodirus battus and relate this to climatic conditions
- Atypical trichostrongyle life cycle
- Preparasitic phase (L1-L3) occurs within egg shells
- Eggs shells are resistant to freezing and drought, viable up to 2 years on pasture
- Hatching is stimulated by cold period followed by a mean day/night temperature (~10C) but L3 are susceptible to climate and need to be ingested quickly
- This is the first species to peak on pasture in spring
Which stage of the Nematodirus life cycle causes pathology and how?
- Large number of larvae simultaneously burrowing into the gut cause pathology (this is the larvae not adult)
- Huge numbers of immature larvae attacking the gut wall causing dehydration and rapid death
True/false: N. battus can cause disease twice in the same year.
True
* Some eggs deposited in spring can hatch in the autumn of the same year, causing contamination of pasture at this time.
* This indicates that some populations of the parasite have evolved to hatch without needing a winter cold period to prime them (this is still uncommon.
What times of year do we see disease caused by N. battus ?
- Disease is seen in spring (April, May, then into June)
- Disease is also seen in autumn (September, October) when eggs deposited in spring hatch in the autumn of the same year
True/false: Nematodirus is transmitted from ewes to lambs each year.
False
* Nematodirus is transmitted from lamb crop to next lamb crop the following year
What constitutes a risk pasture for Nematodirus?
- Risk pasture = areas that lambs grazed the year before.
- Nematodirus can sometimes survive 2 years on pasture, but there is relatively low risk of this.
What will a warm spring mean for Nematodirus ?
- Warm spring = earlier peak in Nematodirus as eggs hatch when weather warms
True/false: egg counts are a good way to assess Nematodirus battus. Explain why/why not.
False
* Disease happens before the worms reach adulthood
* Often there are no eggs found during an outbreak of clinical disease
* Therefore, we cannot rely on egg count to guide the timing of treatment; need to consider history and risk factors, SCOPS parasite forecasts
How can we treat/control Nematodirus ?
- Nematodirus is still susceptible to almost all the anthelmintics
- Use benzimidazoles (white drench)
What parasite’s life cycle is shown here?
This is the life cycle of Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus.
What are the main GI nematodes in lambs?
Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus
When might we need to use routine worming for Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus in adult sheep?
Around lambing (we see a periparturient relaxation in immunity)
We might also see disease in adult sheep with iceberg diseases.
This image highlights the risk periods for certain parasites - which ones?
Teladorsagia and trichostrongylus
What impact does temperature and weather have on Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus?
- These parasites are very weather-dependent
- Temperature influences how quickly eggs develop
- Rainfall influences how well the larvae can infect sheep
- With warm, wet summers, it becomes hard to rule out disease at any time of year