Barber pole worm: the never-ending battle

摘要

What is the pattern of infection with Haemonchus, the Barber pole worm?For the last five years we have been studying the effect of this parasite in Nova Scotia sheep, with several students at Saint Mary's University spending their summers counting worm eggs in sheep poop and identifying infective larvae. We have been looking at several problems: the appearance of anthelmintic resistance on local farms, the effectiveness of the newly licensed anthelmintic, closantel (Fluki-ver~(TM)), and the relationship between infection patterns in spring and local weather conditions. For this last question, we have followed the rise in fecal egg counts on two farms from turnout in spring through August or September.