Working with partners Biobest and Queens University Belfast, the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group is exploring a method that could provide farmers and their vets and advisers with valuable information on the worm species present in dung samples.
The project, funded by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), aims to look at a simpler, potentially cheaper method than is currently available.
SCOPS promotes faecal egg counts (FECs) as the gold standard means to estimate the adult worm burden in sheep and to measure the efficacy of anthelmintic (wormer) treatments. However, FECs cannot accurately differentiate between different most worm species. Identification of worm species is becoming increasingly important as sheep farmers in the UK seek to find out which anthelmintic classes are still effective on the farms, including the worm species involved, so they can negotiate the complex decisions around the use of the different wormer classes.
While there are techniques available that can identify worm species using DNA or extracted worm eggs from faeces, these are not commercially available and are currently only used in research settings.
Speaking on behalf of SCOPS, independent sheep consultant Lesley Stubbings says:
“For this work to be taken forward, it is really important for us to understand the appetite for such a diagnostic tool. To try to gauge this we have devised a short survey for farmers, vets and advisers who are concerned or involved in worm control in sheep. It will only take five minutes but will be extremely valuable as we strive to provide new tools for you to use in the fight against anthelmintic resistance.”
Dr Paul Airs, the parasitologist working on the project, says:
“The survey has only been running for a short time but early indications show respondents are more concerned with diagnostic accuracy and turnaround time than price. That is vital feedback if we are to develop this towards a test for use alongside a FEC on dung samples.”
SCOPS urges all sheep famers, vets and advisers to have their say and complete the short survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/692DD63
