Survey on Endoparasites of Dairy Goats in North-Eastern Italy Using a Farm-Tailored Monitoring Approach.

Anna Maurizio,Rudi Cassini,Laura Stancampiano,Waktole Terfa,Giulia Pedrini,Antonio Frangipane Di Regalbono,Ceren Asti,Cinzia Tessarin,Alice Pertile

doi:10.3390/vetsci8050069

Abstract

With the spread of anthelmintic resistance (AR), endoparasite monitoring consolidates its role for a more sustainable targeting of treatments. A survey on endoparasites in dairy goat farms of north-eastern Italy was conducted to test a monitoring approach based on a farm-tailored sample size. Farm management and parasites control practices were investigated in 20 farms through a questionnaire survey. Further, fecal samples were collected (November 2018–September 2019) from 264 animals from 13 farms and were analyzed individually with a modified McMaster method and subsequently pooled to perform a coproculture. Coccidia (78.4%), gastrointestinal strongyles (37.9%), Strongyloides (28.4%), Skrjabinema (18.9%), Trichuris (8.0%) and Nematodirus/Marshallagia (0.4%) were identified. Abundances were higher for coccidia and gastrointestinal strongyles. Haemonchus (71%) was the dominant gastrointestinal nematode. Pasture and age class resulted in the main risk factors at the multivariable analysis through a negative binomial regression model. Results from farm monitoring indicate that our approach can be a cost-effective decision tool to target treatments more effectively, but farmers need to be educated about the importance of parasitological testing, which is currently scarcely implemented, against the risk of AR.

Highlights

Goat farming plays a fundamental role in economic, environmental and cultural perspectives in both developed and developing countries [1]
The main objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiological features of endoparasite infection in dairy goats in the lowlands of north-eastern Italy, which was through a cross-sectional survey based on a new formula developed for a farm-tailored sample size determination
Veterinary practitioners occupy the front line in the fight against anthelmintic resistance (AR) and the proposed farm-tailored monitoring approach could represent a cost-effective decisional tool to target treatments more effectively

Summary

Introduction

Goat farming plays a fundamental role in economic, environmental and cultural perspectives in both developed and developing countries [1]. Among the diseases affecting goats, endoparasites are widely considered to be a major constraint on their production and welfare [2]. Predisposition to secondary infections and additional costs for veterinary intervention and treatments should be considered, as well as the risk of the onset of anthelmintic resistance (AR) when treatments are performed. The relative dominance of sheep production in developed countries determined a lack of caprine-oriented studies and the knowledge about goats has been, for a long time, directly inferred from sheep [9]. Compared to sheep, goats develop higher parasite burdens and their metabolism requires higher dosages of xenobiotics for appropriate efficacy, and resistance selection due to underdosage might have been facilitated in goats [2,7,9,10]. The frequent and often inappropriate use of drugs has led to a global spread of AR and early reports have been published in Italy in both sheep [11,12]

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Conclusion