Evaluation of methodologies to identify endoparasites in sheep from the Amazon region

Abstract

Worms are caused by various species of helminths that infect the gastrointestinal tract of sheep, resulting in low productivity and high rates of morbidity and mortality. The objective was to test the indirect or Famacha method, which observes the colour of the conjunctiva, by comparing it with the direct method of counting parasite eggs per gram of faeces, to identify the amount of parasites in the animals. 18 Santa Ines sheep were tested. The visual evaluation method involves grouping animals into five categories, ranging from intense red (1) to pale red (5). It is recommended not to deworm animals classed as 1 or 2 (healthy animals) and to deworm animals in categories 3, 4 and 5 (anemic animals). The parasitic monitoring using the two methodologies took place between November 2011 and April 2012. Testing of the ocular mucosa and the direct egg counting from the rectum of the sheep (individually for control purposes) were done monthly. The rating scale for the evaluation of the ocular mucosa ranged from 1 to 3 corresponding to a range of 0 to 6,500 thousand eggs per gram of feces. At the end of the experiment, there was a reduction of 64.8% of antiparasitic drug usage in the sheep. The method of ocular Revista Brasileira de Higiene e Sanidade Animal Brazilian Journal of Hygiene and Animal Sanity ISSN: 1981-2965