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The feeding of heather (Calluna vulgaris) to Teladorsagia circumcincta infected lambs reduces parasitism but can detrimentally impact performance

Shepherd, F.; Houdijk, J.G.M.; Cylinski, C.; Hutchings, M.R.; Kelly, R.F.; MacRae, A.; Maurer, V.; Salminen, J.-P.; Engström, M.T. and Athanasiadou, S. (2024) The feeding of heather (Calluna vulgaris) to Teladorsagia circumcincta infected lambs reduces parasitism but can detrimentally impact performance. The Veterinary Journal, 303 (106066), pp. 1-11.

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Document available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023324000054


Summary in the original language of the document

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections impact small ruminant health, welfare, and production across farming systems. Rising anthelmintic resistance and regulation of synthetic drug use in organic farming is driving research and development of sustainable alternatives for GIN control. One alternative is the feeding of plants that contain secondary metabolites (PSMs) e.g., proanthocyanidins (PA, syn. condensed tannins) that have shown anthelmintic potential. However, PSMs can potentially impair performance, arising from reduced palatability and thus intake, digestibility or even toxicity effects. In this study, we tested the trade-off between the antiparasitic and anti-nutritional effects of heather consumption by lambs. The impact of additional feeding of a nematophagous fungus (Duddingtonia flagrans) on larval development was also explored. Lambs infected with Teladorsagia circumcincta or uninfected controls, were offered ad libitum heather, or a control chopped hay for 22 days during the infection patent period. Eight days into the patent period, parasitised lambs were supplemented (or remained unsupplemented) with D. flagrans for a 5-day period. Performance and infection metrics were recorded, and polyphenol levels in the heather and control hay were measured to investigate their association with activity.
The lambs consumed heather at approximately 20% of their dry matter intake, which was sufficient to exhibit significant anthelmintic effects via a reduction in total egg output (P = 0.007), compared to hay-fed lambs; the magnitude of the reduction over time in heather fed lambs was almost 10-fold compared to control lambs. Negative effects on production were shown, as heather-fed lambs weighed 6% less than hay-fed lambs (P < 0.001), even though dry matter intake (DMI) of heather increased over time. D. flagrans supplementation lowered larval recovery in the faeces of infected lambs by 31.8% (P = 0.003), although no interactions between feeding heather and D. flagrans were observed (P = 0.337). There was no significant correlation between PA, or other polyphenol subgroups in the diet and egg output, which suggests that any association between heather feeding and anthelmintic effect is not simply and directly attributable to the measured polyphenols. The level of heather intake in this study showed no antagonistic effects on D. flagrans, demonstrating the methods can be used in combination, but provide no additive effect on overall anthelmintic efficacies. In conclusion, heather feeding can assist to reduce egg outputs in infected sheep, but at 20% of DMI negative effects on lamb performance can be expected which may outweigh any antiparasitic benefits.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Keywords:Anthelmintic, Anti-nutritional, Calluna vulgaris, Gastrointestinal nematode, Teladorsagia circumcincta, small ruminants, Abacus, FiBL2505404, RELACS
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
anthelmintics
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_475
English
gastrointestinal diseases
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_11105
English
nematodes
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_47faeccc
English
small ruminants
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_32579
Subjects: Animal husbandry > Production systems > Sheep and goats
Animal husbandry > Health and welfare
Research affiliation: Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Animal health > Parasitology
Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Small ruminants
UK > Other organizations United Kingdom
UK > Scottish Rural Colleges (SRUC - previously SAC)
Finland > Other organizations Finland
DOI:10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106066
Related Links:https://relacs-project.eu/
Deposited By: Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, FiBL
ID Code:53049
Deposited On:28 Mar 2024 08:00
Last Modified:28 Mar 2024 09:18
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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