[Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae recovery from different Brachiaria decumbens and Panicum maximum strata]. / Recuperação de larvas de Trichostrongylus colubriformis EM diferentes estratos de Brachiaria decumbens E Panicum maximum.

The purpose of the experiment was to evaluate infective Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae vertical migration in two forage grass species. Experimental modules formed by eight plots, established with Brachiaria decumbens cv. Australian and Panicum maximum cv. Aruana, were used in the study, totaling four plots for each grass species. Each plot was divided into six 30 x 30 cm subplots. Larval migration was evaluated in the four seasons of the year, in different plant strata (0-7, 7-14, 14-21, 21-28 and above 28 cm). Four feces deposits were made, one in each season of the year, in the middle of 30-cm tall forage. The feces were collected from the forage ten days after each feces deposit in the experimental subplots. Grass height was measured in each of the strata immediately before the collections. The forage of the different strata was cut from an area measuring 10-cm in radius. The feces were collected manually from the subplots. There was a grass species and grass stratum interaction in the deposit made in autumn (P<0.05). During that season, most of the larvae were recovered from the Brachiaria grass base; meanwhile, at the forage apex, the biggest average was registered in the aruana grass. Infective larvae (L3) recovery was similar among the different strata during spring. In springtime, the biggest L3 recovery occurred at the 21-28 cm stratum from both forage species. No L3 was recovered from any of the No L3 was recovered from any of the grass strata during winter and summer. Study results show that migration of T. colubriformis larvae was more influenced by weather conditions than by forage species.

Efficacy of homeopathic treatment against natural infection of sheep by gastrointestinal nematodes.

The efficacy of the homeopathic treatment with the Fator Vermes, administered according to the manufacturer's recommendations, was evaluated against gastrointestinal nematodes infections in sheep. The experiment was divided into two phases: in the first phase (January/06/2004 to April/30/2004), the animals of the treated (n=10) and control (n=10) groups were treated individually with conventional anthelmintics to avoid deaths. In the second phase (April/30/2004 to July/06/2004), the sheep from the group that received the Fator Vermes were treated as they had been in the previous phase, while the control group animals were treated with conventional anthelmintics at 14 day intervals. In the first phase of the experiment, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between group means regarding egg counts in feces (EPG), weight gain, or packed cell volume (PCV). Meanwhile, in the second phase, the control group sheep had a significantly higher weight gain, higher PCV values, and lower EPG counts. Infective larvae of Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Cooperia spp., and Oesophagostomum spp. were identified in the fecal cultures. After six months of daily treatment with the Fator Vermes, it was not possible to substantiate the product's benefits in both sheep health and productivity or in the prophylaxis of gastrointestinal nematode infections.