Breakthrough on sheep parasite

An improved test for parasitic barber pole worms in sheep has been developed in the US. Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Georgia made the breakthrough in tackling the parasite which causes hundreds of millions of dollars in losses every year to the global sheep and wool industryreports Rural News. The test is already available and allows a faster, easier and less expensive way to test for the presence and quantity of Haemonchus contortus worms that are highly pathogenic to sheep, goats and llamas. The new lectin staining test is based on a peanut extract that binds to eggs of the parasite and can be easily visualized with a microscope using ultraviolet light. It's an improved version of previous technology developed by scientists in Australia that was slower, less effective, more expensive and required more advanced training to perform, the researchers say. The test requires only a small amount of faeces and results are available in as little as two days. The relatively inexpensive test was developed by microbiologists and veterinary doctors at the two universities and is available through those institutions. The researchers say the new test will help sheep farmers deal with this problem more quickly and effectively, optimise their management practices, and sometimes avoid costly therapies. "This particular parasite is much more pathogenic in sheep than other worms, and previous methods to detect it were very labour intensive and often not commercially practical," Oregon State University professor of microbiology Michael Kent says. "Now ranchers and veterinarians can test for this problem and target their management or treatment strategies much more effectively." The worms cause significant production losses and in some cases are the limiting factor to sheep production on pasture lands. The nematodes can cause internal bleeding, which in turn can lead to anemia, poor food conversion and growth, low protein levels, reduced lamb production and wool yield, and in some cases death.