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The production costs of Haemonchus contortus and other nematode parasites in pre-weaned beef calves in New Zealand

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-03, 22:15 authored by Tania WaghornTania Waghorn, Chris MillerChris Miller, Paul CandyPaul Candy, Luis Carvalho, John Meban, Peter GreenPeter Green, Dave LeathwickDave Leathwick
Haemonchus contortus can frequently be found infecting pre-weaned beef calves on sheep and beef farms around the North Island of New Zealand. The purpose of this study was to consider whether the presence of this parasite alone, or as part of a mixed infection, could be impacting growth rates of young animals, on three commercial farms in the North Island of New Zealand. Trials were conducted on commercial sheep and beef farms in each of the Northland, King Country and Gisborne regions, in late summer/autumn (February to April) of 2016 to measure the effect of treatment with narrow and broad spectrum anthelmintics on liveweight gain of spring-born calves pre-weaning. Each farm was chosen based on the presence of Haemonchus and that it was a beef cow/calf system with the cows and calves grazing the same pastures as sheep at some stage. Three sampling visits were made to each farm with the animals being weighed, faecal sampled and treated with one of two anthelmintics (Closantel alone to remove only Haemonchus or a triple combination containing moxidectin, levamisole and oxfendazole to remove all nematodes) or left untreated, on each of the first two visits. There was no significant difference in liveweight gain between any of the treatment groups, hence there was no evidence for an impact of Haemonchus alone, or a mixed nematode infection, on pre-weaned calf growth rates on these farms. It remains unclear whether there may be a justification to consider treatment of calves should they constitute a significant source of pasture larval infestation with H. contortus, in an integrated cattle-sheep system.

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Rights statement

© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language

  • English

Does this contain Māori information or data?

  • No

Publisher

Elsevier

Journal title

Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports

ISSN

2405-9390

Citation

Waghorn, T. S., Miller, C. M., Candy, P., Carvalho, L., Meban, J., Green, P., & Leathwick, D. M. (2022). The production costs of Haemonchus contortus and other nematode parasites in pre-weaned beef calves in New Zealand. Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 30, 100718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100718

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