title: Seasonal patterns of gastrointestinal nematode infection in goats on two Lithuanian farms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated seasonal changes in naturally acquired gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections on two Lithuanian goat farms with different parasite control practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On both farms, nematode faecal egg counts (FEC) and larval cultures were obtained from 15 adult and 10 young goats at bi-weekly intervals from April 2012 to April 2013. Goats on farm A were dewormed with ivermectin (0.3 mg/kg body weight) in October/November 2012, whereas the animals on farm B were left untreated. Thirteen young goats were slaughtered in August/November 2012 and April 2013 and worm burdens in the gastrointestinal tract were enumerated. In goats from both farms, Teladorsagia, Trichostrongylus, Oesophagostomum, Chabertia and Haemonchus were the dominant GIN genera. Herbage contamination with infective third-stage larvae (L3) peaked in July/August and resulted in high FEC in September/October. Parasitological examination at slaughter showed that Teladorsagia spp. and Haemonchus contortus survived the winter, both in the abomasal mucosa as adults and as early fourth-stage larvae (EL4). Deworming on farm A significantly reduced FEC, especially of H. contortus, at the start of the grazing period compared with the untreated farm B (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Goats were heavily infected with several GIN throughout the year. Strategic anthelmintic treatment during housing significantly reduced nematode egg output, in particular by H. contortus, at the start of the grazing season.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, LT-47181, Kaunas, Lithuania. stadaliene@lva.lt.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stadalienė
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7028, , SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. johan.hoglund@slu.se.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Höglund
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, LT-47181, Kaunas, Lithuania. petkevicius@lva.lt.
authors.forename: Saulius
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petkevičius
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006041:Goats; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics