Proposals for epidemiological surveys of helminthoses aimed at the improvement of livestock production in the tropics.
As the major contagious epidemics in the tropics are today more or less under control, the most important diseases of livestock are due to parasitic infections. Precise knowledge concerning the biology of parasites and their seasonality is a prerequisite for any control strategy. Therefore, epidemiological investigations into the effect of helminths on ruminant livestock production must include I. A vertical section through the age dependent helminthic burden of a representative number of animals of a given population, i.e. the sampling of faeces at regular intervals during the first 18 months of life. II. Investigations into the horizontal development of the helminthic situation, whether soil-transmitted and/or vector-transmitted. a. The seasonal fluctuation of egg excretion from gastrointestinal nematodes. b. The seasonal incidence of nematode larvae on pastures. c. The seasonal survival time of nematodes larvae on pastures. III. The seasonal fluctuation of vector snails and their incidence of infection with trematode larvae. For the economic evaluation of control measures it is necessary that the following parameters should be recorded: The age dependent mortality rate, the development of the average body weight, the birth/slaughter weight, the age at first calving and the calving intervals.
Hörchner
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Institute für Parasitologie und Tropenveterinärmedizin, Freie Universität Berlin, FRG.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D001835:Body Weight; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D009348:Nematoda / Q000254:growth & development; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D012418:Ruminants / Q000469:parasitology*; D012621:Seasons; D012987:Soil; D014329:Tropical Climate
D012987:Soil