Evaluation of oil-farm faecal worm egg counting in sheep

摘要

PARASITE control management is an important element of sheep production systems, particularly on intensive lowland sheep units. Apart from Nematodirus species (which have larval stages that are more pathogenic), faecal worm egg counts (FECS) are reasonably well correlated with pathogenic worm burdens in lambs (McKenna 1981) and are widely used as an aid to decision-making on parasite control management Traditionally, FECS are carried out within a laboratory using the standard McMaster technique (Urquhart and others 1996a). In the 1990s, a portable on-farm faecal worm egg counting system called 'Fecpak' (FECPAK International) was developed by workers in New Zealand and subsequently marketed in Australia, Great Britain and Ireland, In theory, the Fecpak system provides everything needed to carry out FECS, including the equipment, detailed information on the correct method of collecting and testing samples of faeces, guidelines to aid decision-making, and up-to-date information via a periodically circulated newsletter. It is claimed that by using the system, a farmer can make more informed decisions on parasite control. The system could assist in the identification of the cause of illthrift or clinical scour problems in individual animals or groups of sheep, and also in monitoring the effectiveness of worm control programmes, including assessment of the effectiveness of drenches and the presence of anthelmintic-resistant worms. Vipond (1998) acknowledged the potential of the Fecpak system but stated that it should first be evaluated under laboratory and field conditions in the UK. This short communication describes such a study.