A Field Study on the Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Endoparasites in Beef Suckler Cow Herds in Germany
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Farm Selection and Animals
2.2. Sample Collection
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. General Parasitological Status
3.2. Eimeria spp.
3.3. Gastrointestinal Nematodes (GIN)
3.4. Fasciola Hepatica
3.5. Other Parasites
3.6. Deworming Strategies and Management
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | Farm A | Farm B | Farm C | Farm D | Farm E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Region | Central Germany | Southern Germany | Southern Germany | German Baltic coastal region | Central Germany |
Absolute altitude (m) | 111 | 450 | 456 | 65 | 400 |
Average temperature (°C) 1 | 11.5 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 12.5 |
Average rainfall (l/m2/month) 1 | 59.4 | 48.6 | 48.6 | 45.2 | 65.7 |
Production | organic | organic | organic | conventional | conventional |
Herd size (adult cows) | 182 | 48 | 71 | 411 | 77 |
Pasture size (hectare) | 96 | 27 | 20 | 250 | 93 |
Pasture category | wet | dry | dry | wet | wet |
Grazing interval | 2–12 weeks | no rotation | no rotation | 3–6 weeks | 3–6 weeks |
Housing in winter season | barn | barn | barn | barn | weather protection |
Number of sampled calves | 21 | 25 | 17 | 17 | 23 |
Number of sampled heifers | 25 | 12 | 13 | 30 | 17 |
Number of sampled cows | 126 | 53 | 64 | 115 | 118 |
Not classified | 5 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 6 |
Total number of sampled animals | 177 | 90 | 95 | 182 | 164 |
Age Status | OR | 95% CI | p-Value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
General parasitological status | calf | 2.5 | 1.4–4.2 | <0.001 |
heifer | 2.0 | 1.1–3.5 | ||
adult | 1.0 | - | ||
Eimeria spp. | calf | 4.5 | 2.5–7.9 | <0.0001 |
heifer | 3.0 | 1.7–5.6 | ||
adult | 1.0 | - | ||
GIN | calf | 2.1 | 1.3–3.6 | <0.01 |
heifer | 1.9 | 1.1–3.2 | ||
adult | 1.0 | - | ||
Fasciola hepatica | calf | 0.2 | 0.1–0.5 | <0.001 |
heifer | 0.3 | 0.1–0.7 | ||
adult | 1.0 | - |
Occurrence of Parasite Species in % | Farm A 1 (n = 177) | Farm B 1 (n = 90) | Farm C 1 (n = 95) | Farm D (n = 182) | Farm E (n = 164) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capillaria spp. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 0.55 | 0.61 |
Dicrocoelium spp. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.11 | 0.55 | 0.61 |
Dictyocaulus viviparus | 0.00 | 2.22 | 2.11 | 0.55 | 17.68 |
Eimeria spp. | 22.60 | 18.89 | 16.84 | 23.08 | 17.07 |
Fasciola hepatica | 12.43 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 9.34 | 32.32 |
GIN | 21.02 | 20.00 | 15.79 | 19.78 | 15.85 |
Moniezia spp. | 3.95 | 4.44 | 2.11 | 1.65 | 2.44 |
Nematodirus spp. | 0.00 | 1.11 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Calicophoron spp. | 1.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.55 | 4.88 |
Protostrongylus spp. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Strongyloides spp. | 0.65 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 1.65 | 1.83 |
Trichuris spp. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.55 | 0.00 |
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Gillandt, K.; Stracke, J.; Hohnholz, T.; Waßmuth, R.; Kemper, N. A Field Study on the Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Endoparasites in Beef Suckler Cow Herds in Germany. Agriculture 2018, 8, 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8090132
Gillandt K, Stracke J, Hohnholz T, Waßmuth R, Kemper N. A Field Study on the Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Endoparasites in Beef Suckler Cow Herds in Germany. Agriculture. 2018; 8(9):132. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8090132
Chicago/Turabian StyleGillandt, Kathia, Jenny Stracke, Tatiana Hohnholz, Ralf Waßmuth, and Nicole Kemper. 2018. "A Field Study on the Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Endoparasites in Beef Suckler Cow Herds in Germany" Agriculture 8, no. 9: 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8090132