Seasonal changes in the structure of nematode populations of cattle in New South Wales in relation to inhibited larval development.

Abstract

Pasture plots in 3 climatic regions were contaminated with worm eggs of Ostertagia ostertagi, Trichostrongylus axei, Haemonchus spp and Cooperia spp in the autumn, winter and spring. Successive pairs of parasite-free calves were grazed on the plots for 7 to 10 days at 4-week intervals and then killed for worm counts 14 days after their removal from pasture. On the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, irrespective of the season of pasture contamination, the degree of inhibition of O. ostertagi was low in winter and highest in spring. T. axei showed similar trends while Cooperia spp showed negligible inhibition. On the North Coast of New South Wales, inhibited larvae accounted for a very small proportion of the O. ostertagi burdens, while in comparison T. axei showed a much greater degree of inhibition. Larval inhibition of Haemonchus spp occurred in autumn and early winter after which it did not occur. There was negliglible inhibition in Cooperia spp. On the Central Coast of New South Wales, there was little inhibition of O. ostertagi and none in T. axei. For Haemonchus spp, inhibited larvae were found mainly in autumn and winter. The numbers of inhibited Cooperia larvae were also highest in autumn and winter and were associated with large worm burdens. The marked difference between the tablelands and coastal regions in the seasonal trends of inhibition of O. ostertagi was considered to be due to a difference in strains between the geographical regions. The possible effect of climatic factors on the inhibition-proneness of infective larvae on pasture is discussed for Ostertagia and other nematodes. The roles of host resistance and density-dependence are also discussed.