Cell grazing and Haemonchus contortus control in sheep: lessons from a two-year study in temperate Western Europe

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 12699 - 9
• Main Authors: Ruiz-Huidobro, C., Sagot, L., Lugagne, S., Huang, Y., Milhes, M., Bordes, L., Prévot, F., Grisez, C., Gautier, D., Valadier, C., Sautier, M., Jacquiet, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 03.09.2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/326/417/1716; 631/326/417/2549; Animals; Anthelmintic agents; Anthelmintics - therapeutic use; Antiparasitic agents; Drug Resistance; Eggs; Feces - parasitology; France; Gastrointestinal Diseases - drug therapy; Gastrointestinal Diseases - parasitology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - veterinary; Grazing; Haemonchiasis - drug therapy; Haemonchiasis - parasitology; Haemonchiasis - veterinary; Haemonchus - growth & development; Herbivores; Humanities and Social Sciences; Infections; Intestinal parasites; Life Sciences; multidisciplinary; Other; Parasite Egg Count; Parasites; Pasture management; Pest resistance; Rotational grazing; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seasons; Sheep; Sheep - parasitology; Sheep Diseases - drug therapy; Sheep Diseases - parasitology; Species composition; France; Western Europe; gastrointestinal; nematode; free-living stage; farm; larvae; ivermectin; resistance
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49034-y

Managing infections of sheep with anthelmintic resistant gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) is a major challenge for sheep producers in Western Europe. New methods of grazing management have been poorly explored as a component of an integrated and sustainable control of these parasites. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different types of grazing systems of sheep (intensive cell grazing versus conventional rotational grazing) on GIN infections over two years in a farm located in a temperate environment of Western France. When considering the whole study, the type of grazing system did not influence significantly the intensity of egg excretions of adult ewes even if the proportion of ewes excreting high numbers of GIN eggs was higher in cell grazing system than in rotational grazing system. The most striking result of this survey was the effect of grazing system on the GIN species composition harbored by ewes and by their lambs: with time, the proportions of H . contortus infections were lower in cell grazing system than in rotational grazing system. In conclusion, the cell grazing system, as implemented in this study, could limit the importance of this highly pathogenic nematode species in sheep.