Alternative management strategies to prevent and control endo-parasite diseases in sheep and goat farming systems - a review of the recent scientific knowledge

Infestation with gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) in small ruminants can cause server economic losses and endanger animal welfare. The development of organic farming systems, the increased public awareness for drug residues in agricultural products and the development of resistant strains of parasites have enforced the search for sustainable alternatives. The aim of this review is to summarise the current scientific knowledge of alternative strategies to prevent and control endo-parasitic diseases in sheep and goat farming systems. Many scientific studies and projects have shown big discrepancies between results obtained under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Often research has been carried out under clinical conditions for extended periods before being moved to on farm trials and it was observed that extensive clinical research on a topic does not necessarily result in the discovery of a practical control option. Effective pasture management on the other hand proved promising and offers solutions that can be successfully transferred to most farming situations with applied knowledge about host-parasite interactions and interrelations building the base for low pasture infection rates for grazing animals. There are also a number of possible management strategies (e.g. stocking rate reduction and regular intensive monitoring of animal condition) that can also help optimise animal health status. The area of selective breeding has also shown promise as a viable control option. The influence of nutritional status was also investigated in the context of non-chemotherapeutical options for control. It was found that optimised nutrition improves the ability of animals to cope with the adverse effects of worm infestation. Protein nutrition proved to be playing a key role as it is needed for growing processes as well as for immune responses. The investigation of alternative anthelmintic treatments like bioactive forage, phytotherapy, homeopathy and copper-oxide are not discussed in this paper.