Wild ruminants as reservoirs of domestic livestock gastrointestinal nematodes

Publication date: Available online 28 January 2020Source: Veterinary ParasitologyAuthor(s): Carly D. Barone, Janneke Wit, Eric P. Hoberg, John S. Gilleard, Dante S. ZarlengaAbstractGastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections in cattle cause appetite suppression which leads to poor feed conversion, reduced weight gain and reduced milk production. Overuse and exclusive reliance on anthelmintic drugs has resulted in widespread resistance in many parasitic nematode species infecting livestock making control increasingly difficult. Wild ruminants are competent hosts of a number of nematode species that typically infect and are best adapted for cattle, sheep, and goats. Thus, the potential exists for wild ruminants to act as reservoirs in the translocation of domestic GIN, including those carrying anthelmintic resistance mutations as well as susceptible genotypes. The potential for parasite exchange is heightened by interfaces or ecotones between managed and wild rangelands, and by perturbations linked to climate warming that can increasingly alter the distributions of wild ungulates and their interactions with domestic and free-ranging ruminants. To investigate the extent to which wild ruminants harbour parasites capable of infecting domestic ruminants we first performed an epidemiological study of feces from wildlife hosts that spanned 16 states and included white-tailed deer (85% of the samples), pronghorn, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, moose, cattle, and caribou across the Unit...

Source: Veterinary Parasitology - January 29, 2020 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research