Benefits of vaccinating goats against Haemonchus contortus during gestation and lactation

Publication date: Available online 7 November 2019Source: Small Ruminant ResearchAuthor(s): Claudelice Oliveira Rosa Nobre, Antônio Francisco Igor Magalhães de Matos, Jomar Patricio Monteiro, Viviane de Souza, William David Smith, Marcel TeixeiraAbstractThe effect of a vaccine made from gut membrane glycoproteins of Haemonchus contortus was evaluated in pregnant and lactating dairy goats grazing native pasture in a semi-arid region of Ceara State, Brazil. Saanen (n = 20) or Anglo Nubian (n = 20) does aged six months were assigned by body weight and fecal egg count into two equal groups (n = 10), vaccinated or not, as reported earlier in a trial performed in 2017. The course of immunisation followed the recommendation for sheep with three priming doses 21 days apart followed by boosts every 6 weeks. All animals grazed the same bushland area and were exposed to natural worm infections supplemented when needed with additional artificial doses of Haemonchus larvae. Parasitological and performance parameters were monitored throughout mating, pregnancy and lactation. These included faecal egg counts, Packed Cell Volumes (PCVs), plasma proteins, body weights and condition scores and milk production including the emergence of mastitis causing agents. Vaccinates of both breeds consistently had significantly reduced (65.3 % ± 10.7 for Anglo Nubians and 67.6 % ± 8.9 for Saanen) egg counts compared to controls and this difference was maintained during pregancy and lactati...
Source: Small Ruminant Research - Category: Zoology Source Type: research