Interaction Between Fasciolosis and Nutrition in Growing Ruminants

Research Project

Project ID: R6608

Title	Interaction between Fasciolosis and nutrition in growing ruminants
Species	Goat, Sheep, Buffalo
Commodity	Meat, Draught power
Livestock Keeper Group	Smallstock Keepers
Production System	High Potential
Country or Region	Nepal
Research Theme	Nutrition-Disease Interaction, Policy, Livelihoods(Decision Making)
Research Approach	Strategic Research
Funding Agency	DFID Livestock Production Programme
Overview	The project looks at the interaction of Fasciolosis and nutrition, there are specific recommendations in FTR on health and feeding. There are some financial models at the end of FTR to aid decision making on treatment/ feed supplies etc.

Summary

Fasciolosis is a major disease of domestic ruminants in much of the tropics, in particular areas such as Nepal, where the climate and farming practices favour the survival of the snail intermediate hosts. The trematodes Fasciola gigantica and F. hepatica (at higher altitudes) cause fasciolosis, although the latter parasite is more common in temperate areas.

This study addressed the hypothesis that modifications to animal feed management can ameliorate the production losses (as determined by relative survival, weight gain, condition score and carcass quality) caused by fasciolosis in young stock, irrespective of the degree of drug intervention.

Primary Relevance	Low - High
Feeding and Nutrition
Animal Health
Commodities and Markets
Other Husbandry
Policy Relevance

Documents

	Final Technical Report
	Annex: Workshop proceedings. Strategies for feed management in areas endemic for Fasciolosis

Baseline parameters were gathered at CTVM, where chronic fasciolosis infections were set up in sheep, maintained on diets differing in their protein and nitrogen content. Field experiments in Nepal employed young goats and buffaloes, infected with Fasciola gigantica. Food intake, weight changes and clinico-pathological parameters were monitored sequentially, and the data used to determine the relative benefits of nutrition as opposed to disease control through drug treatment.

The experiment conducted on sheep at CTVM indicated that for F. gigantica infected sheep a dietary protein content of c14% seemed optimal and that a proportion of the dietary nitrogen could be derived from urea without detrimental effect. Experiments conducted in goats and buffaloes in Nepal, quantified the benefits of diet supplementation and indicated that feeding tree fodder had not only cost advantages but also had a detriment effect on fluke survival.

The main direct conclusions from the experiments and financial analyses, conducted during this project lead to the following points being incorporated into integrated control recommendations for immediate dissemination to Nepalese farmers:

Aim to feed a diet containing up to 14% protein. To help achieve this level of protein feed supplement the basic diet with either tree fodder or feed concentrate or urea/molasses blocks as available.
Tree fodder has added advantages as a supplement: it is nutritious, can be grown and harvested on farm and it reduces the severity of fasciolosis.

Where feasible, the control of fasciolosis through strategic and symptomatic drug treatment is still a recommended option for any integrated control programme. Other alternatives such as feeding the top (non-infective) halves of rice straw as fodder immediately after harvest, followed later by the bottom parts of the rice straw are also of potential benefit. This project has also resulted in some findings, which should now be tested on-farm or in on-station research projects.

In the short term, adoption of the project recommendations should be of immediate and practical help to Nepalese farmers and these have been incorporated into the agricultural dissemination of information mechanisms currently in operation in Nepal .

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