Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T08:35:44.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Oesophagostomum dentatum and Trichuris suis infections in pigs born and raised on contaminated paddocks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2006

H. MEJER  and
A. ROEPSTORFF
H. MEJER
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlægevej 100, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
A. ROEPSTORFF
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlægevej 100, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Transmission of Oesophagostomum dentatum and Trichuris suis was studied in outdoor reared pigs. Six farrowing paddocks were naturally contaminated in May to mid-June 2001 by experimentally infected seeder pigs. In early July 1 sow farrowed on each paddock and starting at week 3 post-partum (p.p.) the offspring was slaughtered serially every 2 weeks for parasite recovery. Faeces were collected regularly for parasite egg counts and acid-insoluble ash (AIA) content as an indicator of geophagy. Weaning took place at week 7 p.p. by removing the sow. Paddock infection levels were estimated in mid-June (O. dentatum) and late November (O. dentatum and T. suis) using helminth-naïve tracer pigs. Soil and vegetation samples were collected regularly. Despite a high initial contamination by the seeder pigs, O. dentatum paddock infectivity was negligible to low throughout the raising of the experimental piglets, which had a slow accumulation of nodular worms ending with a mean of 422 worms/pig at week 19 p.p. As only few eggs developed to infectivity overall T. suis transmission was minimal. The first T. suis were recovered at week 11 p.p. and the highest mean burden of 21 worms/pig was recorded at week 19 p.p. The experimental pigs initially had a high faecal level of AIA although it decreased over time. The results are discussed in relation to the biological characteristics of the 2 parasites and their occurrence in organic pig production.

Keywords

Oesophagostomum dentatumTrichuris suispigstransmissiongeophagyoutdoor production
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 133 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 295 - 304
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alicata, J. E. ( 1935). Early developmental stages of nematodes occuring in swine. U S Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 489, 1–96.Google Scholar
Andrews, J. S., Stewart, T. B., Richardson, G. V. and McCormick, W. C. ( 1970). Internal parasites in pigs in southern Georgia: acquisition by suckling pigs raised on temporary and permanent pastures and grazed on permanent pasture after weaning. Journal of Parasitology 56, 1210–1217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anon. ( 1971). Kommisionens første direktiv af 15. juni 1971 om fastsættelse af fællesskabs analyse metoder til den officielle kontrol af foderstoffer (71/250/EØF) (The first commission directive from 15 June 1971 concerning official analysis methods for control of feed stuffs). De Europæiske Fællesskabers Tidende nr. L 155/13 (The European Union news letter number L. 155/13), 430.
Beer, R. J. S. ( 1973). Morphological descriptions of the egg and larval stages of Trichuris suis Schrank, 1788. Parasitology 67, 263–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beyer, W. N., Connor, E. E. and Gerould, S. ( 1994). Estimates of soil ingestion by wildlife. Journal of Wildlife Management 58, 375–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burden, D. J. and Hammet, N. C. ( 1976). A comparison of the infectivity of Trichuris suis ova embryonated by four different methods. Veterinary Parasitology 2, 307–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burden, D. J. and Hammet, N. C. ( 1979). The development and survival of Trichuris suis ova on pasture plots in the south of England. Research in Veterinary Science 26, 66–70.Google Scholar
Burden, D. J., Hammet, N. C. and Brookes, P. A. ( 1987). Field observations on the longevity of Trichuris suis ova. Veterinary Record 121, 43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carstensen, L., Vaarst, M. and Roepstorff, A. ( 2002). Helminth infections in Danish organic swine herds. Veterinary Parasitology 106, 253–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dangolla, A., Bjørn, H. and Nansen, P. ( 1994). A study on the transmission of Oesophagostomum dentatum and Hyostrongylus rubidus among outdoor reared pigs in Denmark. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 35, 409–416.Google Scholar
DANISH PLANT DIRECTORATE ( 2005). Vejledning om økologisk jordbrugsproduktion (Guidelines for organic agriculture), pp. 126.
Goodey, T. ( 1924). The anatomy of Oesophagostomum dentatum (Rud.) a nematode parasite of the pig, with observations on the structure and biology of the free-living larvæ. Journal of Helminthology 2, 1–14.Google Scholar
Hale, O. M. and Stewart, T. B. ( 1979). Influence of an experimental infection of Trichuris suis on performance of pigs. Journal of Animal Science 49, 1000–1005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hale, O. M., Stewart, T. B., Marti, O. G., Wheat, B. E. and McCormick, W. C. ( 1981). Influence of an experimental infection of nodular worms (Oesophagostomum spp.) on performance of pigs. Journal of Animal Science 52, 316–322.Google Scholar
Hill, C. H. ( 1957). The survival of swine whipworm eggs in hog lots. Journal of Parasitology 43, 104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, T. K. and Svensmark, B. ( 1996). Trichuriasis hos udendørs slagtesvin (Trichuriosis in outdoor fatteners). Veterinær Information 2, 3–7.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, R. J. ( 1975). Isolation of infective Dictyocaulus larvae from herbage. Veterinary Parasitology 1, 61–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kraglund, H.-O. ( 1999). Survival, development and dispersal of the free-living stages of Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum dentatum and Trichuris suis at the pasture. Ph.D. thesis, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kraglund, H.-O., Roepstorff, A. and Grønvold, J. ( 2001). The impact of season and vegetation on the survival and development of Oesophagostomum dentatum larvae in pasture plots. Parasitology 123, 415–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larsen, M. N. ( 1996). Årstidsvariation i overlevelse og udvikling for de frie larvestadier af 4 svineparasitter på friland (Seasonal variation in survival and development of the free-living stages of 4 pig-parasites under outdoor conditions). M.Sc. thesis, University of Copenhagen and The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Larsen, M. N. and Roepstorff, A. ( 1999). Seasonal variation in development and survival of Ascaris suum and Trichuris suis eggs on pastures. Parasitology 119, 209–220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mejer, H. and Roepstorff, A. ( 2006). Ascaris suum infections in pigs born and raised on contaminated paddocks. Parasitology 133, 305–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mejer, H., Wendt, S. and Thomsen, L. E. ( 1998). Transmission af helminther hos grise på friland – betydningen af næsering, belægningsgrad, fodersammensætning og adfærd (Transmission of helminths in outdoor pigs – the effect of nose-rings, stocking rate, diet composition and behaviour). M.Sc. Thesis, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mejer, H., Wendt, S., Thomsen, L. E., Roepstorff, A. and Hindsbo, O. ( 2000). Nose-rings and transmission of helminth parasites in outdoor pigs. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 41, 153–165.Google Scholar
Nansen, P., Larsen, M., Roepstorff, A., Grønvold, J., Wolstrup, J. and Henriksen, S. A. ( 1996). Control of Oesophagostomum dentatum and Hyostrongylus rubidus in outdoor-reared pigs by daily feeding with the microfungus Duddingtonia flagrans. Parasitology Research 82, 580–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pattison, H. D., Thomas, R. J. and Smith, W. C. ( 1980). The effect of subclinical nematode parasitism on digestion and performance in growing pigs. Animal Production 30, 285–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedersen, S. and Saeed, I. ( 2001). Acquired immunity to Trichuris suis infection in pigs. Parasitology 123, 95–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Powers, K. G., Todd, A. C. and McNutt, S. H. ( 1960). Experimental infections of swine with Trichuris suis. American Journal of Veterinary Research 21, 262–268.Google Scholar
Roepstorff, A., Bjørn, H. and Nansen, P. ( 1987). Resistance of Oesophagostomum spp. in pigs to pyrantel citrate. Veterinary Parasitology 24, 229–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roepstorff, A., Jørgensen, R. J., Nansen, P., Henriksen, S. A., Skovgaard Pedersen, J. and Andreasen, M. ( 1992). Parasitter hos økologiske svin (Parasites in organic swine). Project report, financed by the Danish Ministry of Agriculture. Landsudvalget for svin, Danske slagterier, Copenhagen.
Roepstorff, A. and Murrell, K. D. ( 1997 a). Transmission dynamics of helminth parasites of pigs on continuous pasture: Oesophagostomum dentatum and Hyostrongylus rubidus. International Journal for Parasitology 27, 553–562.Google Scholar
Roepstorff, A. and Murrell, K. D. ( 1997 b). Transmission dynamics of helminth parasites of pigs on continuous pasture: Ascaris suum and Trichuris suis. International Journal for Parasitology 27, 563–572.Google Scholar
Roepstorff, A., Murrell, K. D., Boes, J. and Petkevičius, S. ( 2001). Ecological influences on transmission rates of Ascaris suum to pigs on pasture. Veterinary Parasitology 101, 143–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roepstorff, A. and Nansen, P. ( 1994). Epidemiology and control of helminth infections in pigs under intensive and non-intensive production systems. Veterinary Parasitology 54, 69–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roepstorff, A. and Nansen, P. ( 1998). The Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Control of Helminth Parasites of Swine. A FAO handbook. FAO, Rome.
Rose, J. H. and Small, A. J. ( 1981). The relationship between pasture herbage and the development and survival of the free-living stages of Oesophagostomum dentatum. Journal of Helminthology 55, 109–113.Google Scholar
Slotved, H.-C., Barnes, E. H., Bjørn, H., Christensen, C. M., Eriksen, L., Roepstorff, A. and Nansen, P. ( 1996). Recovery of Oesophagostomum dentatum from pigs by isolation of parasites migrating from large intestinal contents imbedded in agar-gel. Veterinary Parasitology 63, 237–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stewart, T. B. and Gasbarre, L. C. ( 1989). The veterinary importance of nodular worms (Oesophagostomum spp.). Parasitology Today 5, 209–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Talvik, H., Christensen, C. M., Joachim, A., Roepstorff, A., Bjørn, H. and Nansen, P. ( 1997). Prepatent periods of different Oesophagostomum spp. isolates in experimentally infected pigs. Parasitology Research 83, 563–568.Google Scholar
Wong, M. S., Bundy, D. A. P. and Golden, M. H. N. ( 1988). Quantitative assessment of geophagous behaviour as a potential source of exposure to geohelminth infection. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 82, 621–625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, M. S., Bundy, D. A. P. and Golden, M. H. N. ( 1991). The rate of ingestion of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura eggs in soil and its relationship to infection in two children's homes in Jamaica. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 85, 89–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar