The origin of winter populations of infective larvae of nematode parasites of cattle in a Mediterranean-type climatic environment

Abstract

An experiment to determine the origin of populations of infective larvae of cattle nematode parasites on pasture during winter was conducted in south-west Western Australia. Six pasture plots were contaminated with worm eggs by grazing worm-infected cattle for periods of a month during summer and autumn. Each plot was contaminated at a different time from the rest. The levels of infective larvae were determined by counting the worm burdens of tracer calves which test-grazed the plots the following winter. Tracer calves which grazed the plots contaminated during summer acquired few worms, whereas those that grazed the plots contaminated during autumn acquired many worms. It was concluded that the hot, dry conditions prevailing during summer and early autumn prevented the development of eggs or survival of larvae in dung pats or free on pasture. In this environment, a programme of worm control which relied on administration of anthelmintic to grazing cattle to prevent autumn contamination of pasture would be most likely to succeed if the first treatment was given in early autumn.