ABSTRACT
Small ruminants in northwestern Spain are frequently managed in mixed flocks. Sheep-goat joint management has not been considered a risk factor for parasite infection, so the main objective of this study was to establish if mixed management with goats supposes a risk factor for parasitic infections in ovine flocks. Two thousand and ninety-three sheep were sampled from 74 commercial meat ovine flocks for diagnostic of the main parasites. Goat contact was a risk factor for sheep to be infected by protostrongylids, Dictyocaulus filaria, gastrointestinal nematodes and Eimeria spp. In contrast, Moniezia, Fasciola hepatica, Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Paramphistomidae prevalences were not influenced. Sheep-goat mixed management can be considered as a risk factor, since goats would act as a source of pasture contamination for interspecific parasites (protostrongylids, Dictyocaulus filaria and gastrointestinal nematodes). In relation to host-specific parasites, such as Eimeria spp., goats cannot be considered as a source for sheep, but competition for food and spaces between both small ungulates can suppose a reduced grazing area to sheep, provoking high environmental contamination and stress that facilitate their infection. Future epidemiological studies for parasitic infections in small ruminants should consider sheep-goat mixed management as a possible risk factor to be included in multivariate analyses.
ABSTRACT
Paramphistomosis is considered an emergent disease of ruminants in Europe. Some drugs have been found effective for treating paramphistomid infections in cattle, but data in sheep are currently limited. Thus, faecal samples from 25 adult sheep naturally infected with paramphistomids were collected weekly to test the efficacy of oxyclozanide and closantel. Three groups were performed: nine animals orally treated with a single dose of oxyclozanide (15 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) integrated the G-OXI group, whereas eight sheep orally treated with a single dose of closantel (10 mg/kg BW) were placed in a group called G-CLS. Eight untreated controls constituted the group G-CON. Oxyclozanide showed efficacies up to 90% until week 11 post-treatment, with a maximum efficacy of 98.3%, and significant differences were found between G-OXI and G-CON until the 26th week post-treatment. Closantel was insufficiently active (0-81%) throughout the study and differences compared to G-CON were never found. The present study reveals that oxyclozanide given at a single oral dose of 15 mg/kg BW is highly effective against adult rumen flukes in sheep. In addition, the use of a single oral dose of closantel at 10 mg/kg BW is not recommended for treating paramphistomid infections in sheep.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are protozoans involved in reproductive failure especially in ruminant livestock. The objective was to estimate the seroprevalence of both parasites in goats from north-western Spain and to study the influence of some factors on seropositivity. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Blood samples from 638 goats were collected in 50 farms. Presence of T. gondii and N. caninum antibodies were detected by direct agglutination and competitiveELISA techniques, respectively. The risk factor analysis was performed using a mixed-effects logistic regression. RESULTS: Individual (48%) and herd-level (74%) T. gondii seroprevalence values were high; the within-herd prevalence was 53%. In contrast, 6% of animals tested positive to N. caninum and 38% of the herds had at least one positive animal, with a true within-herd prevalence of 10%. Mixed infections were limited; 91% of N. caninum seropositive goats were also positive to T. gondii. The risk factor analysis showed that T. gondii seroprevalence is influenced by the presence of sheep in the farm (OR=4.9) and the seropositivity to N. caninum (OR=16.5); goats from the Central-coastal area, more humid and warm, had a 15.7-fold probability of being seropositive to T. gondii than those from the Mountainous area. Cross-breed goats (OR=4.5) and the seropositivity to T. gondii (OR= 9.5) were factors associated with N. caninum seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: The high T. gondii seroprevalence in goats constitute a noticeable zoonotic risk. The consideration of the risk factors identified in designing T. gondii and N. caninum control programs in goat herds should allow the implementation of more efficient measures, avoiding the appearance of outbreaks of reproductive disorders by both protozoans in goats.
