Nematodes Flashcards
Nematode Features
-Unsegmented -Acoelomate (no body cavity) - Moult b/w stages (shed cuticle) - Most free-living (soil** and marine sediment)
Cuticle Characteristics
- outer keratin-like
- inner collagen
- secreted by hypodermis
- shed with each moult
Musculature Characteristics
-longitudinal muscles only (2 dorsal & 2 ventral groups)
Nervous System Characteristics
- nerve rings (esophageal ring: dorsal, ventral, 2 lateral nerves and rectal ring)
- Neurotransmitters: GABA & Acetylcholine (block=paralyse)
Digestive System Characteristics
- Mouth
- buccal capsule, leaf crown (gut feeders wafting), cutting plates, teeth
- Dorsal Gutter
- conduit for enzymes/anticoagulants from esophagus
- Esophagus
- Instestine (simple columnar ring, microvilli)
- anus= female
- cloaca= males
What is the Pseudocoelome? Funx?
-body cavity
- no true lining
- high hydrostatic pressure of pseudocoelomic fluid provides rigidity
- work w/ muscles to funx as hydrostatic skeleton = S shaped locomotion
Excretory-Secretory System Characteristics
- tubular
- two lateral canals
- open at ventral excretory pore level of esophagus
- anterior 1/3 of worm
- paired glands open onto pore
- secretions = immunogenic
Mouth
- lips
- cephalic papillae
- amphids
- lancet
- teeth
- cutting plates
- long leaf crowns
- short leaf crowns
Male: Reproductive Features
- Testes (single/tubular)
- Spicules
- elongate, pointed
- assist in copulation (dilate vagina/sperm flow)
- single or multiple
- Copulatory Bursa
- posterior expansion od cuticle
- usually 3 lobes (1 dorsal, 2 lateral)
- Bursal Rays
- finger-like projections
- Gubernaculum (gubernator=pilot)
- dorsal plate on wall of spicule pouch
- guides spicule
- not all worms have
Female: Reproductive Features
- 1-2 tubular ovaries
- contain germinal cells
- uteri
- ovijector- muscular feature on some worms
- vulval flap (worm identifier)
- Oviparous
- Ovoviviparous
- Viviparous
- only egg produced and released
- egg contains 1st stage larva when relseased
- eggs hatch inside felmale and L1 released
Basic Life Cycle
- Egg > L1 > L2 > [L3] > L4 > adult (male/female) > egg
- all free living stages feed on bacteria
- 4 moults
- shed cuticle
- Indirect vs Direct
- Routes of Transmission (oral, percutaneous, transplacental, transmammary)
Order: Rhabditida
Family: Rhabditidae
- Features
- rhabditiform esophagus
- tiny nematodes
- mostly free living
- most feed on bacteria
Order: Rhabditida
Family: Rhabditidae
- Genera
- Micronema
- free living, multiply in moist detritis
- Halicephalobus gingivalis
- nervous system
- Rhabdias (stick)
- parthenogenic female in lungs of snakes and frogs
- Rhabditis strongyloides - hair follicle
Order: Rhabditidae
Family: Rhabditidae
- Life Cycle
- egg > L 1
- L1 feeds on bacteria & moult > L2 moult >
- L3
- penetrate skin and migrate to lungs > parthenogenic female
- develop on soil to free living M & F
- copulate, eggs hatch within female
- larvae develop to L3
- released when female dies
***important pathogen in snakes and frogs
Order: Rhabditida
Family: Strongyloidae
Genus: Strongyloides (cylindrical appearance)
- Species - Host - Site
Order: Rhabditida
Genus: Strongyloides
- Life Cycle
- parthenogenic female
- eggs hatch in 6h
- Prepatent Period: 5-12 days
Order: Rhabditida
Genus: Strongyloides
- Autoinfection (S. stercoralis) Life Cycle
- humans and dogs
- eggs hatch inside host (SI)
- L1>L3
- L3 penetrates mucosal intestinal wall
- travel through circulation> lungs> swallowed> adults lay eggs in SI
Order: Rhabditida
Genus: Strongyloides
- S. ransomi & S. westeri
- what species they infect and important modes of transmission?
- S. ransomi -transplacental/ transcolostral
- pigs
- piglets infected in utero
- pigs
- S. westeri - transcolostral
- horses
- percutaneous infection w/ L3 migrating to mamary adipose tissue
- activated and passed thorugh milk
- shortened PPP: 2-5d
- develop quickly into adults in piglets/foals etc
Order: Rhabditida
- Strongyloides ransomi
- Pigs
- Pathogenesis
- Pigs
- Invasive
- dermatitis
- Pulmonary
- pneumonia
- Intestinal
- parasitic female burrow in SI
- Dxa
- < growth rate
- parasitic female burrow in SI
- Prenatal & transcolostral
- primarily piglets see pathogenesis bc ingesting advanced stage larvae
Order: Rhabditida
- Strongyloides papillosus
- Pathogenesis
- dermatitis
- scratching
- allopecia
- death
- malaborption/dxa
**free living
Order: Rhabditida
- Strongyloides westeri
- Strongyloides stercoralis
- unnamed species- kangaroo
What is the host for each?
- S. westeri (foals) > transcolostral dxa in 2 wks
- S. stercoralis (dogs/cats) > weak immune response, 37 yr dormancy
- Kangaroos > in stomach, causes mortality
Order: Rhabditida
Genus: Strongyloides
- Diagnosis
- smol eggs ( 20-30 x 40-55 um) - fecal float or colostrum
- feces collected from rectum
- cool feces to prevent hatching
- Larvae - baermann technique (L1)
Order: Rhabditida
Genus: Strongyloides
- Treatment & Control
- Treatment
- Albendazole & Levamisole
- In feed days before parturition
- Ivermectin
- against adults, give 1-2wk before parturition
- Albendazole & Levamisole
- Control
- free living population
- remove moist areas
- survive about 3 week
Order: Strongylida
- General Taxonomy
- Trichostrongyloidea ►abomasum/SI
- Strongyloidea ► LI
- Metastrongyloidea ► lungs
- Ancylostomatoidea ►SI
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- General Life Cycle features
- Direct
- in feces : egg → L1-L2
- → (L3) (infective stage) → L4 -male/female (both parasitic in host)
- L3 exsheathed in rumen and enter duodenal mucosal glands > L4 > adult in lumen of abomasum/SI
- L3 must be ingested in order to complete LC
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- Features
- vestigial buccal capsule
- copulatory bursa
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
- Genus: Trichostrongylus
- common name?
- black scour worm of sheep
- hairlike worm
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
- Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Species, Spicule & Distrbution
- T. colubriformis
- spicule: barb like tip
- summer rainfall areas
- T. vitrinus
- spicule: tapering end
- winter rainfall areas
- T. rugatus
- spicule: thick and disssimilar
- drier inland areas
- T. axei
- spicule: dissimilar and unequal
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Life Cycle
PPP= 18-21d
female lays: 10-100 eggs/day
L3 - overwinter
- can become anhydrobic and become active when rehydrated
- can survive harsh environment
- development occurs in duodenum
- **search in 1st 6 meters of SI
- moult to L4 (5d)
- moult to adult (10d)
- moult to L4 (5d)
- **search in 1st 6 meters of SI
Intra-epithelial parasite
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Pathogenesis
- villous atrophy
- decreased mitosis
- inflammation and matted
- increased permeability → loss of plasma proteins
- protein loss
- hypoalbuminemia -20% loss in wool produciton & growth rate
- [globulin] increased bc of host immune resp.
- < absorption of Ca & PO4
- decr. absportion in duodenum
- incr. Ca as compensation
- hypophosphatemia
- decreased osteoblastic activity
- anorexia
- esp. T. vitrinus
- diarrhea
- secrete parasympathetic analogues (increase parastaltic waves)
- release inflam. mediators, ^ capillary/epithelial perm. = exudation
- poor absorption, change in osmotic P
- predispose to fly strike
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- How does the host respond? (Immunity)
- immune respose if > 5 mo
- imunity theshold 3000 worms
- against incoming L3 and expel exisiting
- ++ baso, eosino, mast cells in lamina propria
- histamine, cytokines, serotonin
- eosinophils can kill larvae
- goblet cell hyperplasia → ^ mucus
- entangle worms and paralyses
- cellular response : Th2 hypersensitivity 1
- IL5- eosinophil
- IL4,9,13- mast cell degran.
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Can you still have scouring in immune sheep?
- yes
- still have increased parastaltic movements and increased mucus from immune response
- also won’t expell full worm burden
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Seasonal Patterns
- Winter Rainfall Zones
T. vitrinus
- autumn moist - larvae develop
- larvae migrate up blades of grass in moisture
- winter moist- short grass
- sheep graze low to ground and ingest
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- When is maximum intake of T. vitrinus?
- mid winter (high winter rainfall zone)
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Seasonal Patterns
- Summer Rainfall Zones
- T. colubriformis
- development begins w/ incr temp & moisture
- spring
- overwinter (L3 in environment)
- pasture growth can dilute larvae and high temps reduce survival
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Maximum burden in N. Hemisphere?
Autumn
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- When do you have maximum numbers of T. colubriformis?
Mid summer - summer rainfall zone
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- Where do you see high numbers of T. rugatus?
dry areas
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Trichostrongylus
- When would Trichostrongylus worms cause mortalities?
- >60,000 load (esp young sheep)
- winter rainfall zones can have death mid winter
Trichostrongyles of ruminants
Abomasum : HOT
Small intestine : Not Too Cold
HOT
- Haemonchus
- Ostertagia
- Trichostrongylus axei
Small Intestine
- Nematodirus
- Trichostrongylus
- Copperia
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
Genus: Cooperia
- Location? Common name? Infected species?
- small intestine
- “wire worm”
- cattle/sheep
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Cooperia
- Recognition features?
- Size; ~9mm
- small cephalic vesicle
- esophageal region - transverse cuticular striations
- body- longitudinal cuticular ridges
- spicules- wing like in middle region
- no gubernaculum
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
- What genus and what are the recognition features?
- Genus: Cooperia
- Features
- transverse striations on cephalic dilation
- no gubernaculum
- wing like spicules
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Cooperia
- Species of Cattle
- Temperate (moderate pathogenicity)
- C. oncophora (southern AUS)
- C. surnabada
- Sub-tropical (very pathogenic- world wide/N. AU)
- C. pectinata
- C. punctata
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
- Genus? Species? Infected animal species?
- Cooperia
- cattle
- C. punctata
- C. pectinata
- C. onchophora
- cattle
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Cooperia
- Species of Sheep
- C. curticei
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Cooperia
- Life Cycle
- Direct
- L1 - hatches in environment & feed on bacteria
- L3- retains L2 cuticle/withstand harsh conditions
- ensheathment in rumen
- burrows in mucosal glands
- L4 - head in gland & body in lumen
- HYPOBIOSIS - in summer
- Adult - in lumen
- PPP= 15d
What is hypobiosis?
- temporary cessation in development inside host
- summer isn’t great for free living stages (cooperia/nematodirus/ostertagia)
- hypobiosis in summer months
- resume development in late autumn
- produce eggs when environment is suitable for development of eggs/larval stages
- winter hypobiosis (Teladorsagia circumcincta/hemonchus)
- summer isn’t great for free living stages (cooperia/nematodirus/ostertagia)
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Cooperia
- Effect on host
- villous atrophy
- erosion of epithelium
- burden of > 50,000 cause anorexia/dxa
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Cooperia
- Epidemiology
- In Southern Australia, when do cattle pick up wire worms?
- winter
- (ingest during wet season (summer/winter))
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
Genus: Nematodirus
- Common name? Infected host? Location?
- Thin-necked intestinal worm
- sheep/cattle
- small intestine
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- What genus and what are the defining features?
- Genus: Nematodirus
- largest of the 3 SI Trichostrongyles (25mm)
- coiled
- cephalic vessicle
-
long thin spicules
- join at posterior end
- female - spine tail
- VERY LARGE EGGS
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- Genus?
- Egg/larvae features?
- Nematodirus
- L1-L3 occur INSIDE egg
- need cold or drying to hatch
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Nematodirus
- Species (worm and host)
- Sheep
- N. spathiger
- N. fillicolis
- N. abnormalis
- Cattle
- N. helvetianus
- Both (in N. America and Europe)
- N. battus (most pathogenic)
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
- NAME THAT SPICULE
- Nematodirus
- N. filicollis
- N. spathiger
- N. battus
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Nematodirus
- Life Cycle & Pre Patent Period
- L1-L3 inside egg
- need drying or cold to hatch
- L3 burrows in mucosal glands or coil aroud villi > moult to L4
- L4 Hypobiosis common
- adult in lumen
- PPP= 18-21d
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
- Genus and Pathogenesis
- Genous: Nematodirus
- villous atrophy
- erosion of epithelium (from coiling)
- L3 burrow into crypts
- dxa common
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea SMALL INTESTINE
Genus: Nematodirus
- Epidemiology
- L3 with egg = resistance
- can survive over summer
- heavy infections can accumulate in lambing paddocks
- greatest larval pick up = WINTER
- strong immunity develops
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- What is the Trichostrongylus species found in the abomasum and what is the common name?
- T. axei
- “stomach hair worm”
- primarily parasitic in CATTLE
- can occur in sheep, horses, pigs, humans
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- Pathogenesis of this worm
- T. axei
- damage to epithelium
- protein lost in lumen
- mucus produced > pH rises
- 40,000 can kill little lamb
- pathogenesis similar to O. ostertagei (T1)
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Trichostrongylus axei
- Life Cycle and Epidemiology
- direct LC
- environmental part similar to other trichostongylus spp.
- (L1-L2) in feces > (L3) ingested and exshealthed
- host part similar to ostertagia spp.
- L4- hypobiosis in abomasal glands
- environmental part similar to other trichostongylus spp.
- wide host range > important in mixed grazing
- highly pathogenic
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- Genus? Location? Common name? Infected hosts and specific species ?
- Hemonchus -barbers pole worm
- Abomasum
- sheep
- H. contortus
- cattle
- H. placei
- deer, camel
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- Genus and Features?
- Hemonchus
- 2-3 cm long
-
red - barber pole in female
- large vuval flap
- lancet tooth in buccal capsule
- prominent cervical papillae
- asymmetrical dorsal rays
- spicules with barbs
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Hemonchus
- Life Cycle & prepatent period?
- What is the infective stage?
- direct LC
- INFECTIVE STAGE: L3
- exsheathment
- burrows in abomasal glands to moult L4
- L4 re-emerge in lumen
- lancet tooth & sucks blood
- Adult - feed on blood
PPP= 21d
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Hemonchus
- 5 Effects on the Host
- microcytic hypochromic anaemia
- voracious blood suckers
- white eyes and mucosal membranes
- hypoproteinemia > bottle jaw
- NO DXA
- reduced exercise tolerance
- iron deficiency
- heavy infection > sudden death
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- Why do you have anemia and edema associated with a Hemonchus infection?
- Pick up low dose daily
- trying to compensate blood loss
- blood loss> protein loss
- reduced oncotic P
- edema > bottle jaw (localised) or anasarca (generalised)
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- What type of rainfall area is most favorable for Hemonchus? When is L4 in hypobiosis?
- Summer rainfall areas most common
- maximum : Feb-March
- hypobiosis in winter
- less common in winter rainfall areas
- summer too hot/winter too cold
- if mild winter and wet summer > can be widespread
- problems w/ pregnant ewes in autumn
- problems w/ lambs in spring
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Hemonchus
- Epidemiology
- egg/day?
- Eggs WONT hatch below what temperature?
- high biotic potential - 5,000/10,000 egg/day
- eggs wont hatch below 10ºC
- labile larvae
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- What worm “self cures” when threshold is reached?
- Hemonchus
- **similar to T1 sensitivity
- eosinophil-based damage of worm on second exposure
- also vaccine against gut wall proteins (of parasite)
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
Genus: Ostertagia
- Location? Common name? Infected host?
- Abomasum
- Brown stomach worm
- sheep, deer, cattle
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Ostertagia
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Ostertagia
- Species found in sheep?
- O. circumcincta **(main) (also Telodorsagia)
- O. trifurcata
- also Teladorsagia davtiani
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Ostertagia
- Species found in cattle?
- Ostertagia ostertagi
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- T. circumcincta in sheep Life Cycle
- Direct (free living similar to trichostrongylus)
- L1-L3 in feces (2 wks)
- L3 ingested > exsheaths in rumen
- winter rainfall area
- max: june/july
- winter rainfall area
- migrates to lumen of abomasal gland
- moult > L4 > return to lumen
- hypobiosis common (6 mo)
- occus in spring
- emerge in autumn
- hypobiosis common (6 mo)
- cause nodules in abomasum
- PPP= 18-21d
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- T. circumcincta effect on sheep?
- laval migration to gland cells > hyperplasia & necrosis
- reduced parietal and chief cells
- red. acid and pepsin > pH rises (6)
- hypoproteinemia
- protein digestion stops
- leaking plasma proteins into abomasum
- ^plasma pepsinogen
- ^ secretion & ^ permeability
- hypergastrinemia
- pouches w/o worms secrete more gastrin
- anorexia
- dxa (maldigestion)
- nematodes promote gastrointestinal motility (parasympathomimetic)
- reduced parietal and chief cells
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- T. circumcincta GROSS effects on sheep?
- areas of hyperplasia
- raised pin point white foci
- towards antrum and folds of fundus
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- Where is T. circumcincta primary distribution?
High rainfall southern australia
- mainly infects younger animals
- immunity seen in older animals & worm burden expelled
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- What happens to T. circumcincta worms and eggs in immune animals?
- stunted/small and lower fecundity
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- What GIN gives a “moroccan leather” appearance?
- Ostertagia ostertagi in cattle
- found in TEMPERATE areas
- nodules in abomasum
- same pathophysiology as in sheep
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- 2 differences of O. ostertagi in cattle from sheep?
- fecal mass as a reservoir for larvae
- DUNG PAT = HOME
- inhibited larvae can emerge synchronously
- L4 resume development from hypobiosis
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
Genus: Ostertagia
- Why is the cattle dung pat a “helminthological time bomb”?
- cow pat is ideal environ for development
- crust on surface prevents desiccation of interior
- aeration occurs and larvae dev. to L3 (ensheathed) in moist poo
- if dry, crust prevents migration but L3 can still develop over summer
- moisture> emerge onto herbage
- picked up by cattle in autumn through spring
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- What is Type 1 Ostertagiasis?
- young animals
- no immunity
- occurs in spring - just a buildup of worms
- dx w/ egg counts & plasma pepsinogen
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- What is Type 2 Ostertagiasis?
- larvae emerge synchronously (hypobiotic larvae)
- can be induced by cooling larvae or removing adults
- subtropical: hypobiosis does NOT occur
- 2-4 yo animals
- precipitated by stress (calving)
- erratic occurance
- occurs in autumn
- dx w/ ^ plasma pepsinogen or ^gastrin
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea ABOMASUM
- Epidemiology of O. ostertagi?
- EU: inhibited in winter
- AUS: inhibited in summer
Order: Strongylida
Family: Trichostongyloidea
- Name each genus
- hemonchus
- ostertagia
- cooperia
- trichostrongylus
- nematodirus
Trichostongyles of Sheep
Abomasum & SI (5)
- Abomasum
- Hemonchus contortus
- Teladorsagia circumcincta
- Trichostrongylus axei
- SI
- Trichostongylus spp.
- T. colubriformis
- T. vitrinus
- T. rugatus
- Nematodirus spp.
- N. spathiger
- N. filicollis
- N. abnormalis
- N. battus
- Trichostongylus spp.
Trichostrongyles of Cattle
Abomasum & SI (5)
- Abomasum
- H. placei
- O. ostertagi
- T. axei
- SI
- Cooperia spp.
- temperate
- C. oncophora
- C. surnabada
- subtropical
- C. pectinata
- C. punctata
- temperate
- N. helvetianus
- Cooperia spp.
What sheep parasites have the largest economic impact in Australia?
- fly strike
- Lice
- Liver fluke
What cattle parasites have the largest economic impact in Australia?
- cattle tick
- buffalo fly
- internal parasites
3 assumptions about ruminant parasites?
- infections are always mixed
- all animals infected all the time
- control rather than eradicate
- erradication impossible
- would leave susceptible sheep/cattle
- no immunity
how do you target a parasite in the environment?
- strategic drenching
- pasture spelling
- alternate grazing
- rotational grazing
- reduced stocking density
- nematophagus fungi
How do you reduce parasites at the level of the host?
- anthelmintics
- vaccination
- breed for resistance
- nutrition
5 factors that influence worm burden
- moisture
- temperature
- grazing factors
- host factors
- management factors
- What is the importance of moisture in the epidemiology of trichostrongyloidosis?
- development of L3 in feces
- larvae migration to pasture
What is the effective rainfall for trichostrongylus movement on the pastures?
P/E > 0.3
(precipitation/evaporation)
* estimates for hemonchus = P/E > 1.0
What factors assist movement of trichostrongyles?
- Lateral
- heavy rains and floods
- fungal spores (L3)
- Vertical
- films of moisture (up tip of grass blade)
- ** stay at root when dry or increased temp
Effects of weather/moisture on trichostrongyles?
- negatively geotropic
- photophobic in strong light
- sheep graze at dawn/dusk
- when water dries out on grass > anhydrobic state
- survival limited by lipid reserves
What happens to trichostrongylus eggs in lower temperatures?
- slow egg hatching & development
What happens to trichostrongylus eggs in higher temperatures?
- shorten survival times of L3 on pasture
- also have quicker hatching and L3 development
What trichostrongylus species has the longest growth period (days) in low humidity?
- T. rugatus
How can you epidemiologically assess Hemonchus?
bioclimatographs
* based on 10ºC min and rainfall
What grazing factors influence Trichostrongylus burdens in sheep?
- sheep do NOT graze uniformly
- use indicated by fecal deposits
- larval distribution not uniform
- sheep graze selectively
- avoid certain plants/ contaminated areas
- STOCKING DENSITY
- ^sheep = ^poop
- initially have a high burden but overgrazing will reduce #s bc of UV exposure
What are the HOST factors that influence Trichostrongylus burdens?
- age
- genetic susceptibility
- can select for resistance
- follow negative binomical distribution
- only a few sheep will have large burdens
- FEC can be skewed
- must sample 10+ sheep
- FEC can be skewed
- only a few sheep will have large burdens
- breed differences
- merinos more susceptible than cross breed
- Self-cure phenomenon
What causes “periparturient rise” in Trichostrongylus burdens in sheep?
- “spring rise” in fecal egg count
- ^FEC in ewes just prior to lambing & first 4-6wks of lactation
- Due to:
- re-emergence of inhibited larvae
- relaxation of immunity
- existing worm burden becomes more fecund
- increased susceptibility to L3
What management factors influence Trichostrongylus burdens?
- time of lambing/calving
- grazing management
- stocking density
- quality and length of pasture
- nutritional status
- low BCS w/ low burden can be detrimental
- strategic use of anthelmintics
- FEC pre/post
- CHECK EFFICACY
- timing
- FEC pre/post