Summary
- Gastrointestinal parasites such as Haemonchus contortus are an enormous constraint on the efficient production of sheep in developing countries where such stock are mainly owned by poorer farmers.
- Haemonchus contortus induces protein deficiency, which has the effect of weakening the host response and promoting parasite survival.
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| Primary Relevance |
Low - High |
| Feeding and Nutrition |
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| Animal Health |
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| Commodities and Markets |
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| Other Husbandry |
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| Policy Relevance |
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Documents
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- This DFID project successfully evaluated the use of the antibody Immunoglobulin A (IgA) as a way of quantifying the influence of nutrition on the immune response of small ruminants to gastrointestinal parasites.
- IgA appears to suppress worm growth and fecundity and thus acts as a major mechanism of resistance to these worm infections
- Animals on low protein diets are more susceptible to infection because they produce less IgA. Farmers can counter this by feeding extra protein.
- Measuring the amount of parasite-specific IgA can indicate which animals are nutritionally stressed or identify those animals that are relatively resistant to infection. A cheap test is now required so that this information can be incorporated into livestock management strategies.
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The majority of sheep in
developing countries are
infested
with gastrointestinal
parasites such as
Haemonchus contortus. |
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Related Projects
| R5526 |
Anthelminthic resistant nematodes in the Third
World |
| R4901 |
Helminth zoonoses |
| R8151 |
Improving the livelihood of resource-poor goat farmers in
Southern Africa through strategic drug and nutritional interventions
against gastro-intestinal nematode infections |
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