title: Distribution of infective gastrointestinal helminth larvae in tropical erect grass under different feeding systems for lambs.
abstract: This study examined tropical pasture contamination dynamics under different feeding systems for finishing lambs. The experiment aimed to evaluate the vertical distribution of gastrointestinal helminth infective larvae (L3) in erect grass subjected to grazing and to assess the parasite load and its impact on lamb performance in three production systems. Three treatments based on Aruana grass (Panicum maximum cv. IZ-5) were as follows: T1, grass only; T2, grass with 1.5% of body weight (BW) nutrient concentrate supplementation; and T3, grass with 2.5% BW concentrate supplementation. The randomized block design had three replicates of three treatments, with six lambs per replicate. L3 were recovered from three pasture strata (upper, middle, and bottom), each representing one third of the sward height, and correlated with microclimatic data. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among treatments in the L3 recovery. Despite different grass heights between treatments and microclimates within the sward, the L3 concentration generally did not differ significantly among the three strata within a treatment (P > 0.05). Pasture microclimate did not correlate with larval recovery. At the end of the experiment, the animal fecal egg count was similar among treatments (P > 0.05). The results indicated that different lamb feeding systems in a tropical erect grassland caused differences in grass height but did not affect the distribution of infective larvae among strata. Larvae were found from the base to the top of the grass sward.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Animal Science, Agronomy College, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jalise Fabíola
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Tontini
authors.forename: Cesar Henrique Espírito Candal
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bremm
authors.forename: Juliane Machado
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.forename: Neuza Maria
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Fajardo
authors.forename: Bruna Nunes Marsiglio
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Sarout
authors.forename: Zélia Maria de Souza
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Castilhos
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002980:Climate; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006376:Helminths / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D006109:Poaceae; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control