Spring rise in faecal worm-egg counts of housed sheep, and its importance in nutritional experiments

Abstract

1. A spring-rise in faecal strongyloid egg count is described in sheep housed under conditions designed to prevent reinfestation. Large rises were observed in the majority of 3-year-old breeding ewes and primiparous ewe-hoggs, and occasional small rises occurred in nulliparous ewe-hoggs and wether-hoggs. 2. Falls were observed in the packed red-cell volumes of ewes during the period of spring-rise and a close inverse correlation was found between packed-cell volumes and transformed worm egg counts. No evidence was obtained to attribute the falls in packed-cell volume to factors other than worm burden. 3. The fall in packed-cell volume was partially alleviated by feeding of one type of perennial rye-grass, but no direct effect of feeding on the worm-egg output was found. 4. Theories of spring-rise are discussed and the conclusion reached that latent overwintering larvae must play a major part generally in the phenomenon.