?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Parasite+problems+in+organic+livestock+and+options+for+control&rft.creator=Thamsborg%2C+Stig+Milan&rft.creator=Roepstorff%2C+Allan&rft.subject=+Health+and+welfare&rft.description=ABSTRACT%3A+Organic+livestock+production+has+increased+dramatically+in+recent+years+in+Europe+and+other+parts+of+the+world.+The+aim+of+producing+livestock+under+more+natural+conditions+has+led+to+a+reversion+to+primarily+outdoor+production+systems+and+less+intensive+housing+when+indoor%2C+more+forage-based+diets%2C+and+a+reduced+reliance+on+external+inputs+like+antiparasiticides.+These+major+changes+in+livestock+production+systems+may+potentially+result+in+re-emergence+(or+emergence)+of+parasitic+infections.+The+basic+objective+of+this+paper+is+to+give+an+overview+of+the+available+information+on+parasitic+problems+in+organic+livestock+production+with+a+focus+on+northern+temperate+regions.+Furthermore%2C+options+for+control+that+target+these+problems+and+are+acceptable+within+the+framework+of+organic+farming+will+be+discussed.+The+large+majority+of+conventional+pigs+and+poultry+are+raised+in+highly+intensive+production+systems+which+differ+dramatically+from+organic+housing+systems+and+especially+outdoor+runs+and+pastures.+A+comparably+pronounced+difference+between+conventional+and+organic+systems+is+not+found+for+ruminants.+Thus%2C+organic+rearing+may+be+a+higher+risk+factor+for+pigs+and+poultry+than+for+ruminants%2C+however+this+may+partly+be+counteracted+by+the+fact+that+pigs+and+poultry+never+rely+on+pasture+vegetation+for+feeding%2C+while+ruminants+do+so+with+associated+potential+problems+of++insufficient+nutritional+status+and+increased+parasite+transmission.+Several+studies+have+indicated+higher+parasite+infections+rates+in+organic+herds+vs.+and+conventional+herds%2C+and+many+of+these+differences+may+be+explained+by+environmental+factors+favourable+to+the+development+of+parasite+oocysts%2Feggs%2Flarvae+and+perhaps+for+intermediate+hosts%2C+while+fewer+differences+may+be+due+to+the+lack+of+chemical+intervention.+However%2C+parasite+species+have+to+overcome+many+very+diverse+constraints+in+their+attempts+to+complete+their+life+cycles+and+it+may+therefore+be+risky+to+generalize.+Thus%2C+helminths+and+Eimeria+sp.+infections+are+most+prevalent+in+organic+swine+herds+whereas+infections+with+Isospora+suis+seems+less+common+than+in+intensive+herds.+A+higher+risk+of+helminth+infections+has+also+been+documented+in+organic+poultry.+In+organic+dairy+production%2C+gastrointestinal+parasites+may+pose+a+problem%2C+and+lungworm+infection+remains+a+major+problem%2C+not+only+in+grazing+heifers+and+steers+but+also+in+adult+milking+cows.+This+is+not+different+from+conventional+herds+but+control+measures+are+restricted.+Many+problems+can+be+controlled+by+appropriate+management+routines%2C+e.g.+pasture+management.+However%2C+avoiding+chemotherapeutics+for+control+in+certain+regions%2C+e.g.+in+relation+to+ectoparasitic+infections%2C+remains+a+major+challenge.+Future+research+has+to+actively+exploit+new%2C+promising+avenues+for+control+like+forages+or+diets+with+anti-parasitic+activities%2C+biological+control+and+selection+for+resistance%2C+using+approaches+compatible+with+organic+farming+principles.&rft.date=2003&rft.type=Journal+paper&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F4509%2F1%2F4509.pdf&rft.identifier=Thamsborg%2C+Stig+Milan+and+Roepstorff%2C+Allan+(2003)+Parasite+problems+in+organic+livestock+and+options+for+control.+Journal+of+Parasitology%2C+89+(Suppl.)%2C+pp.+277-284.+**&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F4509%2F