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IN THIS ISSUE:

* Notes on monepantel (Tony Morton)  * Managing the first drench in 25 years (Bruce Watt)  * Pathology of round and tapeworms (Brown Besier)  * Cydectin® LA, combinations etc (SL)  * World’s Oldest Sheep?  * Managing Flystrike – Sheep CRC  * Sweet Poison (Gillespie)  * Environment/Sustainability (Godwin)

NOTES ON MONEPANTEL

Dr Tony Morton, District Veterinarian, Hume LHPA

“Recently Bruce Watt and I attended a key opinion leader meeting organised by Novartis at Wagga regarding Zolvix® (monepantel). There was a range of DPI, CSU vets, consultants, leading resellers etc present. I attended as the southern internal parasites representative for NSW District Veterinarians. It was a fascinating meeting.
 
Bruce did an excellent press release from the meeting (pasted below).  
 
A few dot points I noted (and have been commented on by Justin Bailey of Novartis) which you may find of interest include:

*works on all resistant nematodes

*aiming to develop a test that finds resistant alleles earlier than faecal egg count reduction test

*effective (higher) dose rate published re goats

*pre treatment fasting yielded no significant benefit (Refer to work of the late Des Hennessy showing benefits of feed restriction when treating with BZs, closantel, MLs (but not LEV, and should not restrict feed before/after OP drenches. Also where the drench gun is placed in the mouth. See DrenchPlan Primefact, www.dpi.nsw.gov.au – Ed).

* as a quarantine treatment: zero worm eggs in faeces by about 48 hours (n.b. monepantel is not ovicidal)

* very safe, 800x normal  dose = LD50

*Meat withholding period in New Zealand is 7 days

*It will be marketed (initially) as a single compound not as a combination (why? high efficacy and safety profile, new chemistry (takes time), global market- no combos registered in Europe).

*computer modelling for main roundworm (Teladorsagia/Trichostrongylus) species at Hamilton, Victoria showed the best rotation was monepantel and a triple combo. The modelling also indicates the long acting effect of moxidectin promotes resistance. It also showed that at Hamilton not drenching 10% of the mob had little effect on the development of resistance (this was different from WA with its hot dry summer)

* work done by Dave Leathwick in NZ which showed that to achieve the same dilution of resistant alleles (when drenching onto identical pasture) attained by leaving 1% untreated with a 99.9% effective drench, would require leaving 5% untreated with a 99% effective drench or 34% untreated with a 95% effective drench.

*Nick  Sangster’s (Charles Sturt Uni.) modelling (Sangster and Dobson) suggests that  with  the two  new actives coming on the market  if they  are rotated it will take about 7.5 years for resistance to  emerge, if used in combination there would no resistance after 20 years.
 
 See the CSU web  site for further details:

http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/science/savs/research/whatsnew.htm

(Also see:  http://paradak.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/managing-new-anthelmintics-sangster/    - Ed. ).

  Nick commented: “The modelling makes some assumptions about ideal  components of a combination which we can’t be sure occurs. Nevertheless it illustrates a principle. Dave Leathwick discusses it in his paper (referred to in the talk)”.
   
The latest AVJ (Nov 2009) has an excellent article on the efficacy of Zolvix (monepantel) in sheep”.

MANAGING THE FIRST NEW DRENCH IN 21 YEARS  

Dr Bruce Watt, Senior District Veterinarian, Tablelands LHPA

(Article for local (Bathurst) newspaper. Republished with permission).

In 1988, Nick Greiner ousted Barry Unsworth in the NSW state election. Our Prime Minister Bob Hawke stood by (but didn’t touch) the Queen as she helped us commemorate the bicentenary of the landing of the First Fleet by opening the New Parliament House in Canberra. Duncan Armstrong won gold in Seoul but we lost the Bledisloe Cup 2-0. And the last drench from a new group, ivermectin, was launched in Australia.

A new drench group is therefore big news. I recently joined a group of vets, consultants and farmers in Wagga to hear Novartis company veterinarians lead a discussion on how we might best manage their new product, Zolvix® (monepantel), one of two completely new drenches to be released in the near future.

Dr Stephen Love (I&I, Armidale) told us that it usually takes about five years from the release of a new chemical group drench for the first signs of resistance to appear. Unusual exceptions however do occur. As I have mentioned previously worms have been very slow to develop resistance to the organo-phosphate drenches, just as lice have been very slow to develop resistance to OPs and flies to cyromazine (Vetrazin®, and now generics).

Nick Sangster, professor of veterinary pathobiology at Charles Sturt University, gave us a summary of management practices that are likely to enhance the development of chemical resistance in worms.

He listed the failure to administer a quarantine drench to newly purchased stock, the use of long acting products, drenching before moving to very clean pastures (especially stubbles), the treatment of ewes prior to lambing  and finally under dosing and drenching excessively as the most likely factors.

However, internal parasite management is a juggling act between controlling worms in sheep for enhanced health and production and drenching sensibly to avoid resistance.

We all agreed that we would like to see Zolvix® used responsibly to delay resistance and to help in worm control. Extensive trial data from both Australia and elsewhere show that it is highly effective against a wide range of worms including those resistant to other drenches.

 It is also non-toxic and easy to administer. For sheep producers the only bad news is that it will not be cheap. While Australian pricing has not been disclosed, I am told you can expect to pay a premium for Zolvix®.

So how might (NSW central) tablelands sheep producers use monepantel? As most still have at least three effective drench types to choose from (abamectin/moxidectin, the OP combinations and the triple combinations), they are not yet backed into a corner on resistance (unlike some of their New England counterparts).

However, I think many rely heavily on abamectin and moxidectin. Monepantel will be a useful alternative to the OP combinations for those who would like to extend the life of moxidectin on their farms.

The first summer drench, due now, would be an appropriate time to use monepantel, although perhaps not this season as it is not yet released. It would also be most useful as a drench for young sheep that require a lower and so less expensive dose and where its safety and effectiveness would be valuable.

PATHOLOGY OF ROUND- AND TAPE-WORMS (Dr Brown Besier, Principal Veterinary Parasitologist, Dept. Agric., WA)

An excerpt from a conversation among colleagues:

"I … agree that there is no clear evidence that Moniezia are pathogenic and only anecdotal evidence that they have any effects in lambs, or in promoting enterotoxaemia. There have been a number of more or less inconclusive trials, but I have never talked to a parasitologist in any country who thought Moniezia was a problem in sheep.

This makes sense when you think of it:  there is good evidence that the majority of the damage that nematodes do to sheep (apart from blood-sucking ones) is immune-mediated. If you abolish the hosts’ response to the worm burden (by using corticosteroids), there is little pathogenic effect such as appetite depression, local tissue damage or nitrogen metabolism impairment. The severe effects we see from Teladorsagia and Trichostrongylus result from thousands of contact points where an immune response is engendered, but typically, lambs carry only one or a few Moniezia. I imagine that although they are quite immunogenic (spontaneously expelled at a young age), the very low amount of antigenic exposure would result in relatively little overall immune-mediated physiological effect. (Although I readily admit I am not an immunologist!)

Regarding tapeworms in horses, Anoplocephala are considered quite pathogenic, and I have seen good trial evidence for this. "

Notes: Moniezia species are the common intestinal tapeworm of sheep and goats. Teladorsagia (Ostertagia) circumcincta: (small) brown stomach worm. Trichostrongylus spp (e.g. T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus): black scour worm. – Ed.

CYDECTIN® LA, COMBINATIONS ETC

A vet from northern NSW emailed me recently for my opinion regarding usage of Cydectin® LA and related matters. Some of the interaction appears below (personal identifiers removed; and ‘typos’ hopefully fixed).

“Hi Steve

Some advisers promote Cydectin® LA with a Levamisole primer and Lev / Rametin at day 80.  I’m told this reduces resistance build up considerably on the computer models.
The other thing is that, in the New England, they like to use it in the autumn so that any eggs that drop from surviving Haemonchus during the tail off of the sustained action (that is the point where resistance develops) are laid into the non-viable egg hatching winter months.
 
A colleague has also I pointed out that in areas like Narrabri there is also a non-viable period due to high evaporation over Dec – Jan and so its use in Oct would fit in with the strategy of the tail going into non-viable periods.

What are your thoughts?

Regards

”Alphonse”
 
================================

Hi ‘Alphonse’

Some thoughts:

* In theory at least, to delay resistance it is better to use unrelated actives in combination, rather than singly in any sort of rotation.  The ‘perfect’ combination contains unrelated actives (different modes of action/different genes for resistance) with the same length of action, the same spectrum of activity, and resistance to each is rare (ideally absent). (And of course, it doesn’t cost any more than a single-active product, comes premixed, is a delight to use, and comes with a free Play Station etc).

* So, the advice to use a primer and tail-cutter/exit drenches is employing ‘combination theory’.

* The background, as you know, is that ML resistance in Haemonchus contortus (Hc; barber’s pole worm) is escalating in macrocyclic lactone drenches (MLs) in northern New South Wales and south eastern Queensland, and this is also affecting the most potent of the Sheep MLs, moxidectin.

It is common now for Hc eggs to be appearing ‘early’ after Cydectin® (moxidectin) treatment, whether oral or LA, indicating that the period of protection is being eroded (as happened with closantel in the late 1980s/ early 1990s). Also there are cases, beginning with the one in the Warialda district (circa 2000), where Cydectin is not 100% effective against resident Hc. (Reported, with a view to sounding an alert, in the Australian Vet Journal several years ago).

* Early in the piece, Fort Dodge and others recommended Cydectin usage early in the season (e.g. pre-lambing, early Spring) and throughout the season, albeit with a lower frequency of treatment being required than if short-acting drugs were used (unless short-acting drugs were combined with good integrated parasite arrangement (IPM), including grazing management).

So, Cydectin pre-lambing and then later in the season gave great results all round. It really is an outstanding anthelmintic (but none of them are immortal). In fact once or twice I jokingly told F-Dodge area managers that they were superfluous: Cydectin sold itself.  (I don’t think my humour is always appreciated).

Cydectin of course filled the void left by the narrow-spectrum drench closantel (Seponver(R), Razar(R) etc), which worked like ‘magic’ in a rational program (WormKill 1 and 2) against Hc (at least from 1984 to the early 1990s). A down-side in some respects is that Cydectin is a broad-spectrum product. (Sometimes it is being used primarily to control one roundworm species, i.e. Hc).  

Then there are the pros and cons of the long tail, which is a two-edged sword. The extent to which the potency of Cydectin ameliorates the negative aspects of a long tail (increased potential for selection for resistance) was hotly debated for a long time, without much benefit, and often detracting from more important issues. (e.g. ‘what drenches work on your property?’ ‘How can you protect them?’ ‘What IPM measures can you implement or improve?’ ‘How do you decide when to drench?’).

Ideally, like any other drench, Cydectin should have been used in an appropriate combination from day one.  An imperfect ‘combination’ (remember there are no perfect combos) would be an efficacious non- ML drench as a primer then an efficacious non-ML as a ‘tail-cutter’ (‘exit’ drench).  (The timing of the tail-cutter is a bit tricky and would best be determined by regular faecal worm egg count (FWEC) monitoring through the tail of Cydectin).

* The Achilles heel of Hc is its eggs. Freshly laid eggs are only viable for around 7 days. During that time they have to have adequate temperature and moisture for the eggs to develop and hatch. (In around 24 hours under optimal conditions). Then there needs to be adequate moisture for the third stage/infective larvae (L3s) to get out of the faecal pellet and go ‘walk-about’ in films of moisture on the grass.

From an ecological point of view, the biggest difference between the three important roundworms of sheep in Australia (Haemonchus (barbers pole worm), Ostertagia (Teladorsagia; small brown stomach worm) and Trichostrongylus spp (black scour worm)) is the eggs.  The survivability of the L3 larvae of each species is broadly similar. But differences between the eggs are bigger.

In order of decreasing susceptibility (of eggs) to cold and desiccation; here is how they stack up:

Barber’s pole worm – black scour worm – small brown stomach worm.  

(Nodule worm -Oesophagostomum columbianum – thought to be extinct in the Northern Tablelands (but not the north west of NSW) is even less cold tolerant than Haemonchus.     (Interestingly barber’s pole worm and Oesophagostomum are thought to be ‘African’ worms, whereas Ostertagia and Trichostrongylus are thought to have co-evolved with sheep in central Asia. But that is another story.  See ‘Le Jambre’s Theory of Co-Evolution’ in one of the ‘Turning the Worm’ newsletters on-line).

When I am talking about moisture, I am mainly referring to precipitation, and am implying ‘effective’ precipitation. The late Ian Barger long ago used to refer to precipitation/evaporation (P/E). (And I know that Shaun Slattery talks about the negative effects on Hc of high evaporation rates in summer in the Narrabri district, and the positive effects of heavy dews in autumn).

So a month of 100mm rainfall in summer in the Northern Tablelands might be different from the same rain in Narrabri.

* The strength of Hc is its fecundity, with females pumping out around 10 000 eggs per day, around 10-20 times as much as the scour worms. So, when the narrow window of opportunity arises (warm and moist), Hc is there in numbers, ready to go. (But liver fluke surpasses Hc in fecundity and certainly in longevity).

* Pondering the weaknesses of barber’s pole worm, you can see why a good system of rotational grazing can work well in its control.   Or, to put it another way, the worst thing you can do for barber’s pole worm control, in terms of grazing management, is set-stocking.

Hang in the ‘Alphonse’; I’m getting there.

* So, the rationale for using Cydectin LA in autumn, as you have noted, is that when barber’s pole worm eggs appear post-treatment, it will be too cold for the eggs to develop and hatch (i.e. days consistently below 10 degrees C overnight), and resistant genes won’t make it through to the next generation.   A similar rationale is used in other areas: i.e. timing of the treatment so that, when eggs do appear post-treatment, the conditions are too hostile for eggs/larvae. Of course, all this comes unstuck if eggs appear a whole let earlier than you expected.

But, we focus on ML-resistant Haemonchus in the Hc endemic areas.   What about Ostertagia and Trichostrongylus?   And their eggs can tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions than Haemonchus.  ML resistance in Trichostrongylus so far appears to be somewhat less common than for Hc (summer rainfall areas) and Ostertagia (winter and non-seasonal rainfall areas) but we know that ML-resistant Trichostrongylus is more than a theoretical possibility (e.g. see Le Jambre and others (2005).  Characterization of moxidectin-resistant Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Haemonchus contortus. Veterinary Parasitology)

* Now, regarding the advice (Haemonchus -endemic areas) favouring the use of Cydectin® LA with a levamisole primer and Lev / Rametin (MAP; naphthalophos) at day 80 etc:

In general, this seems quite logical to me. I think this can be seen as preventative and/or curative. I include ‘curative’ (in the sense of dealing with – if not fixing – an existing problem) because there are properties where Hc eggs are appearing quite early after treatment with moxidectin, including Cydectin LA.   (See graph below, which I prepared some time ago from data by Bailey and Nielsen, 2005. No doubt this data will be updated some time).

It seems that giving a primer in these cases allows you to still get some mileage out of the moxidectin drench. FWEC monitoring of course would be mandatory.   In fact FWEC is generally mandatory anyway, but especially with long-acting products, and most definitely if there are any suspicions of resistance.

Optimally, if any long acting product is used, even if apparently effective on it’s own, an effective primer should be given at the beginning (to help reduce head selection) as well as towards ‘the end’ – i.e. a tail-cutter or exit drench.

The timing of the tail-cutter could be based on best guess (based on label claims for the product and on-property experience with the product) or, better, regular FWEC monitoring. Cultures may be required, as the protective period against susceptible worms in the case of moxidectin at least is shorter for Trichostrongylus than for Haemonchus (and Ostertagia).   The rationale for the recommendation on using a tail-cutter at day 80 I assume is roughly based on the claimed protective period against susceptible Hc less the prepatent period of 18-21 days for Haemonchus (plus a bit).   Also I guess as a bonus it, all going well, kills Trichostrongylus, the eggs of which might be expected to appear around day 80 post treatment (earlier if resistance is present).

LEV is a good option as a primer for Cydectin LA in Hc-endemic areas because LEV is cheap and likely to work on it’s own against Hc, and even more likely to work in company with moxidectin. But, we both know there are properties in the New England where Hc is resistant to MLs, including moxidectin, as well as levamisole (and also benzimidazoles and closantel).

Hc-resistant LEV are still relatively uncommon, but I think it would be best not to use LEV on its own, cost considerations aside.  As to the tail-cutter, I think a NAP+BZ+LEV combination would be better than Rametin®/LEV.  The greatest part of the cost of any NAP(thalophos) combination is the NAP (Combat®, Rametin®), so going for a three way rather than a two way NAP combination has increased benefits that outweigh the marginal increase in cost.   As an aside, for ML-based combinations, NAP-ML is one that should be considered. And again, it would be better (from a resistance point of view) to only use MLs in combination (e.g. abamectin+NAP, or ML-based triple or quadruple drenches). Yes, cost is a consideration.

It goes without saying that any drench option, including 3 or 4 way combinations, should be tested on a property, whether by way of a DrenchTest (faecal worm egg count reduction test (FECRT); best) and /or through ongoing monitoring (DrenchCheck: post treatment FWEC monitoring). There are cases in the New England of resistance to ‘triple’ combinations.

‘A long winded answer, 95% or more of which your probably already new, but hopefully it was helpful.

Regards

Steve”

WORLD’S OLDEST SHEEP?        

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/odd/6510526/big-sleep-for-lucky-sheep/

MANAGING FLYSTRIKE

New area on Sheep CRC website:

http://www.sheepcrc.org.au/industry-tools-and-information/managing-flystrike.php

SWEET POISON – by David Gillespie

Although experts in the field may feel that Gillespie has oversimplified the fructose story (and thus made it more digestible?), it is nonetheless an interesting book.  Sweetpoison.com.au

By the way, the whole fresh fruit you eat is not the villain. Most metabolisable fructose in western diets comes from elsewhere.

The problem in a nutshell? We are not designed to consume large amounts of fructose. Fructose pretty much bypasses intake control (appetite regulation), unlike other carbohydrates, protein and fat, and also sidesteps regulation of metabolism. The end result of fructose excess, according to Gillespie, is increased fatty acids (and adipose tissue), and increased LDL cholesterol. We consume massive amounts of fructose, much of it invisible, and much of as sugar (which is 50/50 glucose and fructose) and, in the US in particular, as high fructose corn syrup.

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY – Dr Ian Godwin-UNE

(I found this in my archives. Permission to use this in my newsletter was obtained from IG 17/12/2004 and again 26/11/09.  Note this was written in 2004; some of the details may have changed since then. Ian is no longer the man he used to be, having put into practice his own expertise on fructose metabolism, just as Gillespie (Sweet Poison) put into practice findings from his own reading on the subject. Ian researches fructose metabolism and is currently Assoc. Professor, Animal Physiology – Environmental and Rural Science W28, UNE, Armidale, NSW AU).

Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:29:20 +1100
To: unesci-all

Dear All,

We have been asked for feedback on the university’s new environment and sustainability policy. I have a suggestion outlined below.
Whilst walking to work this morning I pondered the consequences of losing the 5kg of extra body weight that I carry around.

Human adipose tissue contains approximately 2% myristic, 26% palmitic, 14% stearic, 44% oleic and 10% linoleic acids (the remaining few percent is structural proteins etc which we will ignore). To lose this weight by exercising will require the conversion of this fat to carbon dioxide.

This means for each mole of oleic acid (C18H34O2) 18 moles of CO2 will be produced. Each mole of CO2 will occupy 22.4 Litres at 25 degrees C.  Each kg of fat will produce 64.6 moles of CO2.

As there are currently 60% of Australians overweight or obese (lets say by an average of 5kg), then loss of this weight would generate 87,858,708,754 litres or 172,580 tonnes of CO2.

This is why we cannot ratify the Kyoto protocol as it has too great a health consequence for the nation. We can also add in further direct increases to global warming, if we take into account the 37KJ (8.84 Calories) of energy liberated for each gram of fat oxidized.  This would yield enough heat to raise the temperature of 5,363,183Litres of water to boiling point.

I will be applying for carbon credits for my spare tyre, although MacDonalds is disputing ownership.

This should be considered in the university’s new environment and sustainability policy. I think that the university should provide free Pizza lunches, to reduce the greenhouse emissions from the campus.

So all you skinny types out there make sure you eat up big over Christmas to save our environment.

Kind regards,
Ian G.

Ian Godwin

University of New England
Armidale, N.S.W.

Posted via email from paradak

For some reason only the archived posts (WormMails) from the old sites (vet26mi.wordpress.com; vet26mi.posterous.com) up to September 2009 could be imported into paradak.posterous.com

SL   2009.11.26

Posted via web from paradak

SL 

200.11.26

Posted via email from paradak

One day FWEC Training Courses-Tamworth 10&11 November

See below for information from Julie Chapman/Cassie Gardiner. Please contact either of them for more information and/or go to:

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/profarm/courses/livestock/faecal-egg-counts

PhD student to undertake research on “Population Genetics of Liver Fluke”

See below. Contact Professor Spithill directly.

WormFax NSW
Latest issue (Sept. 09) is attached. See our website also for  previous issues.

Regards

SL

–
Stephen L
State Coordinator ~ Internal Parasites
Industry and Investment NSW ~ Primary Industries
Armidale District Office

WormBoss: http://www.wool.com/wormboss

Primary Industries ~ Livestock Health pages: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/health

Primary Industries ~ Office directory: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/about/office

vet26mi: http://vet26mi.wordpress.com/ or    http://vet26mi.posterous.com/

—– Forwarded by Stephen Love/DII/NSW on 27/10/2009 09:44 AM —–

FAECAL EGG COUNT FOR WORMS COURSE

Are you interested in managing internal parasites and worms in livestock?

I&I NSW Tamworth PROfarm are running two more Faecal Egg Count For Worms
Courses in Tamworth on 10 OR 11 November.

Participants will -

• Identify how to take samples and complete faecal egg counts
• Identify different worms under a microscope
• Analyse results from samples
• Identify targeted control options.

Please find attached the Course Information Flyer and Registration Form/
Fax-back Form (dpi/lhpa staff only).  Could you please pass this information on to
any staff, colleagues, family or friends who may be interested in attending this course.

If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to call:
Cassie Gardiner (6763 1276) or Julie Chapman (6763 1285).

Regards,

Julie Chapman | Primary Industries, PROfarm Short Course Program
Industry & Investment NSW | 4 Marsden Park Road | Tamworth NSW 2340
T: 02 6763 1285 | F: 02 6763 1222 | E: julie.chapmanf@industry.nsw.gov.au
W: www.industry.nsw.gov.au | www.profarm.nsw.gov.au

=================================================================================

PhD student to undertake research on “Population Genetics of Liver Fluke”

Professor Terry Spithill, Strategic Research Professor with the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga Wagga   is advertising for a PhD student to undertake research on “Population Genetics of Liver Fluke” – as per attached advertisement to appear in this weeks Australian newspaper.

Could you please circulate it to SDVs, DVs, RVOs and VOs and other potential interested parties.

Interested individuals should contact Professor Spithill directly.

Regards
Ian Links
Biosecurity Special Projects Officer,
EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (an alliance between Charles Sturt University and Industry & Investment NSW) ,
Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
0427 102 305.

(Attachments deleted 26/11/09)

Posted via email from vet26mi

For your information

Details, RSVP etc _ see below

http://www.sheepcrc.org.au/news-and-events/events-calendar/12-11-2009-wool-worms-and-wrinkles-workshop–guyra–12-november-2009.php

Regards

SL

Posted via email from vet26mi

*HAEMONCHUS DIPSTICK TEST

This was mentioned in a recent despatch. (wormmail 20091016: http://vet26mi.posterous.com/merialancare-haemonchus-dipstick-test-for-she )

I mentioned the research team behind this, led by Dr Ian Coldizt, but overlooked the part played by others, for example, the farmer cooperators on whose places the test was field tested, as well as others involved in testing, for example, Natasha Morley, who was then an honours student in Rural Science here at UNE Armidale.

Since the WormMail of 16 October, there have been a number of questions put to me, such as (1) the possibility of the test being launched in other countries, or (2) for other species affected by haemonchosis, such as goats and sheep. Calves in subtropical areas affected by Haemonchus placei could be candidates also. The question of (3) ‘false positives’ from blood from other sources such as liver fluke or other worms/pathogens, or damage to the rectal mucosa, or from other sources of blood, has also been raised.

(1). The short answer is, ‘I don’t know’, as I don’t know the details of patent ownership (I believe it currently rests with the Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre), or the licensing arrangements, apart from knowing that Merial/Ancare are marketing the test kit in Australia.

(2) As to species other than sheep, the test has not been validated in other species. It’s reasonable to assume the test will detect ‘faecal occult blood’ in these species as well, but the unknown is how to interpret the results in these species.

(3) ‘False positives’. The Haemonchus Dipstick Test utilises  a guaiacol-based assay for the detection of haemoglobin, as in Bayer’s Hemastix, well known to vets and medicos. This assay relies on the peroxidase activity of haemoglobin which catalyses a colour change in guaiacol.   In human medicine, somewhat more specific tests for faecal occult blood are often used, for example, immunological tests specific for human haemoglobin. Naturally these are not cheap.

False positives in the Haemonchus Dipstick Test  potentially can arise from sources of haemoglobin other than Haemonchus infections. This might include patent (mature) liver fluke infections, or various other conditions. A knowledge of a history of the property,and a bit of diagnostic acumen, can usually assess the likelihood of false positives, however.

Also the test is an adjunct to, not a replacement for, faecal worm egg counts.

(There may be false positives in carnivorous sheep given the effect of dietary myoglobin on the assay  :-)  ).

More information

Ian Coldizt and Leo Le Jambre have published a paper on this test:

Coldizt I and Le Jambre LF (2008). Development of a faecal occult blood test to determine the severity of Haemonchus contortus infections in sheep.Veterinary Parasitology 153 (2008) 93–99.

There were further developments in the test (extensively field tested) after this paper was submitted. For example, different dilutions, and a ‘boiling step’ to reduce ‘noise’ in the test.

* DIRTY HARRY GOES DRENCHING  (VETCAP)

http://www.vetcap.com/   Forwarded to my by a colleague. There are some people he would like to try this out on.

‘Feeling lucky, nematode?!’

*WORMS AND COELIAC DISEASE   http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/22/2721267.htm

Many of you will have seen the report on ABC News regarding coeliac disease being ameliorated by a hookworm infection.

Some of my colleagues have pointed out the irony of me being a coeliac who works in the area of worm management.

I am aware of similar work to this being done in the past (eg whipworm in ulcerative colitis in humans) and wrote an article on this for ‘Vet Talk’ in The Land newspaper some time ago.

As for me, interesting though this work is, I will continue to avoid gluten as well as hookworms.

Perhaps coeliacs who use the hookworm approach (so they can have their cake and eat it) can monitor their worm burdens using a faecal occult blood test, followed, if need be, by non-invasive anthelmintic treatment using Vetcap.

Or, they can just avoid gluten.

–
Stephen Love BVSc MACVSc
State Coordinator ~ Internal Parasites
Industry and Investment NSW ~ Primary Industries
Armidale District Office ~ Tel: 61 2 67388519

WormBoss: http://www.wool.com/wormboss

Primary Industries ~ Livestock Health pages: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/health

Primary Industries ~ Office directory: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/about/office

vet26mi: http://vet26mi.posterous.com/

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of their organisation.

Posted via email from vet26mi

Following is a Merial/Ancare press release on the Haemonchus Dipstick Test.

As mentioned in the release, development of the test was an Australian Sheep Industry CRC project. The test itself was the brain child of CSIRO Armidale scientist and veterinarian, Dr Ian Coldizt, who lead the scientific team. Others involved were CSIRO Armidale scientist Dr Leo Le Jambre, Dr Gareth Hutchinson, formerly a parasitologist with NSW DPI (now I&I NSW) at EMAI, parasitologist Maxine Lyndal-Murphy from Queensland DPI (now ‘DEEDI’), and veterinarians Deb Maxwell of Armidale, and Rob Woodgate and Brown Besier from Western Australia. The writer played a minor role (I fetched the coffee .

Training days for prospective users will be conducted over the coming months. Interested graziers should contact their local Merial or Ancare Territory Manager or their local rural reseller for further information.

There have already been inquiries about use of the test in other host species affected by Haemonchus, notably goats and also alpaca.  

The test has only been evaluated in sheep, so it is not known how well it will work in species other than sheep or how the results should be interpreted. So, at this stage at least, it’s use in other species cannot be recommended.

"THE HAEMONCHUS DIPSTICK TEST KIT

Revolution in early barbers pole worm detection                        

Graziers will soon have a quick and highly effective tool to detect when sheep should be treated to prevent Barbers Pole worm disease (haemonchosis) outbreaks.

Producers and their advisors can now use the tool in conjunction with the reliable yet time-consuming faecal egg count monitoring, as well as paddock records, grazing management and a degree of intuition to determine which mobs are at risk of, or are affected by, Barbers Pole worm.  

The Haemonchus Dipstick Test kit is to be commercially available this spring, coinciding with the time when Haemonchus contortuscan appear in the higher-risk areas of northern NSW and Queensland, and at times in southern higher rainfall zones, including Victoria and south-west WA.

The test also gives results before worm egg counts rise. Immature worms are detected by the test about a week before they produce eggs, which is when they are already causing serious disease in sheep.

The kit has been developed by the Sheep CRC. It will be available to industry through distributors of the range of Merial and Ancare products. Both see the kit as a valuable tool for producers and they are about to embark on farmer and rural store training field days to ensure correct usage of the kit.

Sheep CRC project manager and Principal Veterinary Parasitologist with the Department of Agriculture & Food WA, Dr Brown Besier, found that this worm species can be quickly and easily tested for, on-farm.

“The basis for the test is that Barbers Pole worms are blood-sucking internal parasites, and as they feed in the abomasum, some blood passes through the digestive tract.

“The testing tool is chemically sensitive to haemoglobin (a product of blood breakdown) and changes colour according to the amount of blood in the sample,” he said.

“If there is a significant Barbers Pole Worm burden present, there is more blood in the faeces – seen as a colour change on the dipstick.  Assessed in relation to weather conditions and sheep factors, this will indicate to farmers and advisors if, or when, drenching is required.”

The major benefits of the Haemonchus Dipstick Test kit include:
        Results are available within 30 minutes on-farm
        Worm burdens are detected before egg production begins (before worm egg counts are of any value in diagnosis)
        The test is easily accessible and able to be kept on-hand on-farm
        The test is reliable, accurate and inexpensive

Director of Large Animal Business with Merial and Ancare, Jack Bree, explains that the kit will be available as an off-the-shelf package with all components and instructions included and enough materials for 50 tests in each kit.

“Farmers will still need to collect dung samples from the paddock, but from there it’s a much easier, quicker and cost-effective process; we find it takes about half an hour from sample collection to test result. The speed and cost of the testing process allows for regular testing of multiple mobs to occur, really allowing for close monitoring of this dangerous parasite.

“The sample is mixed with water, heated in a water bath and then cooled. The test-stick is inserted into the solution and then the colours on the stick change according to the amount of haemoglobin in the faecal sample. Testing is simple and quick, but a very precise process has to be followed to ensure correct readings.

“Through the warmer months it could be used up to once per week to predict risks, while in spring and autumn, temperature and rainfall conditions will determine how often it’s used,” he said.

Chairman of the Sheep CRC, Dr John Keniry, says the Haemonchus Dipstick Test is a prime example of how the CRC model works to develop and deliver scientific solutions to key production problems.

“Few farmers do conventional worm egg counts every week due to the cost, but this means industry runs a risk of stock losses when there are rapid increases in Barbers Pole infection.

“Having identified that a quick-test is both required and possible, the scientists worked to refine the technology and prove its practicality, and the CRC then offered the completed package to specialist agri-businesses to manage the commercialisation process.

“We are very pleased that Merial and Ancare have seen the product’s merits, and have become the commercial partners to make it available to producers.”

“With contributions and funding from the key producer R&D bodies AWI and MLA, and state agencies, universities and key consultants; the Sheep CRC is able to draw on national expertise and resources to address priorities.

“The kit is but one of a range of tools and techniques being delivered and developed by the CRC to help drive productivity and profitability growth in the sheep industry.”

————————-

–
Stephen Love  BVSc MACVSc   (name remains unchanged)
Veterinarian / State Coordinator – Internal Parasites
Industry and Investment NSW – Primary Industries
Armidale District Office

WormBoss: http://www.wool.com/wormboss
Primary Industries – Livestock Health pages: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/health
Primary Industries – Office directory: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/about/office

Also autoposted/mirrored at: W-Press; Blogger; Tumblr; Twitter.

Extras

* Merck and SP

"The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ( this week) announced that it would not oppose the proposed acquisition of Merck by Schering-Plough. The
ACCC also decided to accept a court enforceable undertaking from Merck and Schering-Plough, providing that the merged entity would not take steps to combine the Intervet Schering-Plough and Merial animal health businesses until such time as the ACCC advises that the transaction does not raise competition concerns.

The ACCC concluded that the proposed acquisition of Merck by Schering-Plough did not raise competition concerns in relation to any human health market".

* RSS and Change Detection

RSS – Really Simple Syndication – is a nice way of keeping up with information you want to keep up with. (Unless you like to spend all of your day surfing the web, in between Twittering and Facebooking).

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

If a webpage you are interested in is RSS-enabled (you will see the tell-tale logo), then you can have updates delivered to your RSS reader.  There are various ways of reading your RSS feeds, for example, in Apple Mail, or Mozilla Thunderbird, or in web browsers eg FireFox, or in Google Reader, if you have a Google/Gmail account.

Useful sites such as WordPress (and Tumblr, Blogger, Twitter etc), Dilbert and ABC News provide RSS feeds, but others, such as WormBoss and Industry and Investment-Primary Industries either have no or limited RSS feeds.

But, for these sites, you might consider something like Change Detection. http://www.changedetection.com/

WormBoss however partly gets around the problem of no RSS feeds by providing a monthly update by email. Subscribe to this at the WormBoss site.

I&I NSW, under the leadership of Alex Russell, is working a new ‘clearing house’ for sheep-related information. But my lips are sealed.

Posted via email from vet26mi

Lose money by drenching

Article in Guide for Graziers (Industry and Investment NSW -Primary Industries, Goulburn). An edited version also appeared in Vet Talk, The Land.

Please excuse the typos in the GFG article.   eg ‘wormboss’ not womrboss’. and ‘you don’t need someone else’s worms’.

WormFax NSW August  is now up on the web

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/resources/periodicals/newsletters/wormfax

Screenshot below. Go to the page (URL above) if you wish to click on links.

 
–
Stephen Love | Veterinarian / State Coordinator – Internal Parasites
Industry and Investment NSW – Primary Industries
Armidale District Office | Tel: 61 2 67388519

  Primary Industries – Livestock Health pages | WormBoss  | Vet26mi | Primary Industries – Office directory

        << this post autoposted/mirrored here

Extras

* Arial not so good?

There was interesting piece on Media Watch (ABC TV) last night about the pitfalls of Arial. The name of Korean leader ‘Kim Jong Il’ (font=Arial) /  ’Kim Jong Il’ (font=Times Roman) was misread by a (poorly informed?) journalist as ‘Kim Jong The Second’. Not an issue with ‘good old Times Roman’, said the Media Watch presenter.  :-)

* Quick improvements on hunter-gatherer diet. An interesting paper.  http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v63/n8/abs/ejcn20094a.html

* Plagiarism: stealing from one. Research: stealing from many.    :-)

Download now or preview on posterous

Love S- how to lose money by drenching-GFG OCTOBER 2009.pdf (216 KB)

Download now or preview on posterous

Love S-drench smart cut costs-Vet Talk-The Land Oct 2009.pdf (150 KB)

Posted via email from vet26mi

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2708730.htm    

"NARRATION
This is the story of how a small group of Australian scientists beat the world’s heaviest computer hitters to one of the biggest inventions of our time.

Dennis Redfern
Its one of the most important inventions that Australians have made.

etc…"

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Posted via email from vet26mi

Liver fluke – Rural Report for New England

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/regions/content/2007/s2693872.htm

mp3 of the rural report available at this site (Click on link above)

(snipped)

(Thank you to Sally Edgar at oneprofile.com.au for organising this).

Steve L

Extras

* McFarthest  http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/413-the-mcfarthest-place-145-mi-to-the-nearest-big-mac/

* National Ride to Work  14 October   https://ride2work.bv.com.au/home

* Movember – for Men’s Health  http://au.movember.com/

* Critical Vitamin Deficiency on the Rise  http://sl26mi.wordpress.com/

WormBoss: http://www.wool.com/wormboss
Primary Industries – Livestock Health pages: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/health
Primary Industries – Office directory: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/about/office
vet26mi (mirrored at various microblogs):
http://vet26mi.wordpress.com/ ; http://vet26mi.tumblr.com/ ; http://vet26mi.blogspot.com/ ; http://vet26mi.posterous.com/ ; http://twitter.com/vet26mi

Posted via email from vet26mi