Evolution of nematode community in grazing sheep selected for resistance and susceptibility to Teladorsagia circumcincta and Trichostrongylus colubriformis:: a 4-year experiment

Field trials were undertaken to compare nematode population dynamics in two experimental flocks of rams selected for high and for low faecal egg counts (FECs) following two doses with 20,000 infective larvae, 12,000 Teladorsagia circumcincta (Tcirc) and 8000 Trichostrongylus colubriformis (Tcol) separated by a treatment. The selection was done by dosing 200 ram lambs (INRA 401 breed) and FECs proceeded with egg identification on days 28 and 35 post-each-infection. The 30 lambs with the lowest FECs constituted the group of permanent resistant rams (R), the 30 with the highest values the group of susceptible ones (S). Each group grazed separated pastures from April to November, this during 4 consecutive years. The contamination (number of eggs deposited) was estimated every 3 weeks on each pasture. The larval populations was measured by successive groups of tracer lambs. The infection of the permanent rams was done by slaughtering eight R and S rams on mid and end of each grazing season. Each autumn, new R and S ram lambs were selected to complete the R and S groups before turning out in spring. On third year, a third species (Haemonchus contortus, Hcon) was added to compare its behaviour with the two others. The regulation of parasite populations were studied by comparing what happens in R rams and pasture to S ones. The selected R ram lambs had a FEC of Tcirc 50% lower than S ones. This induced a similar lowered pasture contamination, a 25% decrease of infective larval population in years 2 and 3, and the worm burdens in R rams were the half of that in S rams after 2 years. The FEC of Tcol was 75% lower at the selection and induced similar difference in pasture contamination, but 65 and 96% reduction in L3 population, respectively, after 1 and 2 years. The worm burden was reduced by 99%. Adding Hcon species during the third year, in year 4, the L3 population was half in R pasture compared with S one, and R rams had 60% less worms of this species than S ones. This selection without any drench prevent outbreaks observed in young tracer lambs on S pasture. The comparison of selected resistant rams to selected susceptible ones and not to unselected controls gave more rapid information about the tendency of the regulation of the communities of nematode parasites. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.