Gastrointestinal Parasitism in Sheep Kept on Andropogon and Panicum Pastures in the Federal District, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate infection by gastrointestinal parasites in Santa Ines and Bergamasca sheep kept on cultivated pastures (Andropogon gayanus and Panicum maximum cv Vencedor) in the Federal District. Sixty adult ewes (30 of each breed) with mean body weight 46.2 kg were used, distributed randomly in pastures of 1 hectare. Fecal Egg Count (FEC) was obtained individually every 15 days making a total of 480 FECs. Feces were tested for Strongyloides sp., Strongyle, Moniezia sp. and Eimeria sp. All animals with FEC above 3000 were dewormed. The proportion of variance explained by the model was low, indicating that other factors are involved in parasite infection level. Higher FEC was seen in Bergamasca compared to Santa Ines. Strongyle level depended on month and pasture type. FEC for Bergamasca on Andropogon was significantly higher than Santa Ines on the same pasture and significantly higher than both breeds on Vencedor. This reflects a genotype environment interaction.