ParaBoss News - November 2017 - Feature Articles

Feature articles

Summer drenching—the key to winter worm control

by Elanco Animal Health

Summer drenching is the cornerstone of effective worm control in southern Australia. It needs the right drench, one that kills greater than 98% of worms. >> Read more.

Compare the effect of crutching or shearing time on flystrike risk

from the FlyBoss web site

You can easily try out different crutching or shearing times to see their effect on flystrike risk, using the FlyBoss Compare Management Tool. Simply select the times of your current practice then add some different timings. >> Read more.

Wool Harvest and Sheep Rehandling Intervals

from the LiceBoss web site

Everyone is aware of meat withholding periods, but did you know that after applying a fly or lice treatment, you should not handle sheep or wool without protective clothing for stipulated periods? >> Read more.

Goats rely on feeding strategies to regulate worm burdens

from the WormBoss web site

Goats, unlike sheep, seem unable to reduce the establishment of infective worm larvae or to expel adult worms (self-cure) from the gut. >> Read more.

Fast Fact

Zoonotic worms—blame the dog, not the sheep

Few worms can transfer from animals to humans, but none come directly from sheep. The Hydatid tapeworm has part of its life cycle in sheep, and it can infect humans, but only via a dog (or other canid).

The dog ingests tapeworm cysts by eating offal from an infected sheep. These develop into tiny tapeworms in the dog, which reproduce and lay eggs that are passed in the dog’s faeces. These eggs can be accidentally consumed by people, e.g. in dust or on contaminated vegetables.

The cysts can then develop in the organs of humans, causing a severe disease that can be fatal. Treatment generally involves surgical removal of cysts.

Fortunately, during the past few decades the extensive use of allwormer products in dogs and an awareness campaign encouraging farmers to not feed offal has seen the incidence of this disease in humans become rare.

Liver fluke, which affect sheep, goats and cattle, also affect humans if they eat contaminated waterplants, such as water cress