Abstract
F a w n survival is a central issue for Scandinavia's reindeer industry. Nonetheless, there has been m i n i m a l research conducted on parasitism's effect on reproductive success of female reindeer and their abi l i ty to foster viable offspring to weaning. Investigation of the ecological relationship between parasitism and host fitness, as w e l l as the economic and veterinary medical importance of anthelmintic treatment, is faciliated by conducting field trials i n w h i c h animals treated w i t h anthelmintic are compared to nontreated controls. W e are presently conducting a randomized field tr ial to explore the effects of ivermectin treatment on pre-reproduc¬ tive and mature female reindeer. O u r p r imary response variables include age at first reproduct ion , and offspring survival and weight. F i n dings w i l l provide fundamental informat ion required for the development of an opt imal parasite treatment strategy w h i c h aims at m i n i m i z i n g parasite transmission and maximizing meat product ion. The possible long-term negative side effects of ivermectin are also being explored. O n a theoretical level, project result could elucidate the effects of the general parasite c o m m u n i t y on herd populat ion dynamics and provide data for the study of various quantitative genetic relationships in reindeer. N i e m i n e n (1989) found that offspring of ivermectin-treated females at Kaamanen Reindeer Research Station, F i n l a n d , had a significant 0.5 kg increase (p S 0.05) in average live b i r th weight and a non-significant 2.1 kg increase (p > 0.05) in average autumn live weight . 1 H o w e v e r , our pre l iminary findings indicate that ivermectin treatment of females induces no significant or consistent increase i n m i d to latesummer fawn live weight in coastal N o r t h e r n N o r w a y . This discrepancy f rom the F i n n i s h results may be explained by several factors, among w h i c h sample size or differences in parasite abundance are l i k e l y candidates. The response variable that showed the strongest treatment effect in our pre l iminary results was fawning percent. 2 Ivermectin treated females had a 9 % higher fawning rate (64 % vs. 55 %) than control females, although the difference was not statistically significant (Fisher's Exact Test, p = 0.15; n = 180). We calculated the statistical significance from the means and S.E. published in Poromies-Lehti. 3/1989. Fawning percent is defined as the proportion of research females that was accompanied by a fawn during the time of summer sampling. Rangif er, Special Issue N o . 5, 1990 15
Highlights
Nieminen (1989) found that offspring of ivermectin-treated females at Kaamanen Reindeer Research Station, Finland, had a significant 0.5 kg increase (p S 0.05) in average live birth weight and a non-significant 2.1 kg increase (p > 0.05) i n average autumn live weight . 1 our preliminary findings indicate that ivermectin treatment of females induces no significant or consistent increase inmid to latesummer fawn live weight in coastal Northern Norway
There has been minimal research conducted on parasitism's effect o n reproductive success of female reindeer and their ability to foster viable offspring to weaning
Investigation of the ecological relationship between parasitism and host fitness, as w e l l as the economic and veterinary medical importance of anthelmintic treatment, is faciliated by conducting field trials inwhich animals treated w i t h anthelmintic are compared to nontreated controls
Summary
Nieminen (1989) found that offspring of ivermectin-treated females at Kaamanen Reindeer Research Station, Finland , had a significant 0.5 kg increase (p S 0.05) in average live birth weight and a non-significant 2.1 kg increase (p > 0.05) i n average autumn live weight . 1 our preliminary findings indicate that ivermectin treatment of females induces no significant or consistent increase inmid to latesummer fawn live weight in coastal Northern Norway. * Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616 U.S.A. Abstract: F a w n survival is a central issue for Scandinavia's reindeer industry. There has been minimal research conducted on parasitism's effect o n reproductive success of female reindeer and their ability to foster viable offspring to weaning.
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