A method for specific differentation of the eggs from ovine gastroenteric nematodes

Abstract

We propose a method for specific differentation of the eggs from ovine gastroenteric nematodes, based on a discrimination function, which makes use of the parameters length and width of the eggs. The study was carried out on a flock of sheep of the lacha breed in the Campoo Valley, Cantabria (Spain), submitted to an extensive system of explotation. The eggs were obtained from faeces in which the presence of only one species was previously known. The species Nematodirus filicollis, N. helvetianus, N.spathiger, Trichostrongylus axei, T. colubriformis, Haemonchus contortus and Ostertagia circumcincta were studied. Our method has a better discriminant capacity than the graphic methods described in the literature, and also without the necessity of an informatic infrastructure. Furthermore, it is less laborious than the coproculture method, based on the obtention of third-stage larvae, which makes its use in outdoor work adequate.