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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Booneville, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #259904
Title: Effect of feeding Sericea lespedeza leaf meal in goats experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus

Author
item JOSHI, B - Nepal Agricultural Research Council
item KOMMURU, D - Fort Valley State University
item TERRILL, T - Fort Valley State University
item MOSJIDIS, J - Auburn University
item Burke, Joan
item SHAKYA, K - Louisiana State University
item MILLER, J - Louisiana State University

Submitted to: Veterinary Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/9/2010
Publication Date: 5/31/2011
Citation: Joshi, B.R., Kommuru, D.S., Terrill, T.H., Mosjidis, J.A., Burke, J.M., Shakya, K.P., Miller, J.E. 2011. Effect of feeding Sericea lespedeza leaf meal in goats experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus. Veterinary Parasitology. 178(1-2):192-197.

Interpretive Summary: Internal parasites represent the most critical health threat to small ruminants in warm, humid climates. Grazing condensed tannin-rich plants such as sericea lespedeza helps to control these parasites, but the mechanism of action is not clear. Scientists at USDA, ARS in Booneville, AR, Fort Valley State University, Louisiana State University, and Auburn University, cooperated with the Nepal Agricultural Research Council and determined that establishment of incoming larvae was reduced along with fecal egg counts, but no other changes were apparent; further experiments are needed to elucidate a precise mechanism of action. This information is important to scientists and industry working on small ruminant parasite control.

Technical Abstract: Effect of Sericea lespedeza (SL; Lespedeza cuneata) leaf meal feeding was evaluated in two experiments in indoor reared goats with experimental infection of Haemonchus contortus (HC) larvae. In the first experiment, ten, 8-10 months old male kids from Spanish and Alpine cross bred, pair matched for body weight and age were fed SL or bermuda grass hay (BG; Cynodon dactylon) one week before infection and were infected with 5000 HC L3. The animals were maintained on the same diet for the remaining period and were slaughtered 28 days post-infection (DPI) to determine the establishment of incoming infective larvae. Goats fed SL had lower establishment (P < 0.05) of HC larvae than that of the control goats fed BG hay. In the second experiment, twenty five, 8-10 months old male kids of Alpine cross, Saanen, Nubian x Saanen and Spanish breeds, reared in confinement on BG were experimentally infected with 5000 HC L3. On 35 DPI, the animals were allocated to two groups after blocking by FEC, and one group was fed SL leaf meal (n = 13), and another control group remained on BG (n = 12). Four goats/group were slaughtered successively on days 7 (42 DPI), 14 (49 dpi), and 28 (63 dpi) post SL feeding, except on day 7, when five SL fed goats were slaughtered. FEC and PCV were measured at weekly intervals and worm count, female worm fecundity, worm length and mucosal eosinophils, mast cells and globule leucocytes were measured after slaughter. Goats fed SL had lower FEC (P < 0.05) one week after feeding as compared to those fed on BG, which remained at low level thereafter. Similarly, packed cell volume (PCV) was also significantly affected by treatment (P < 0.01), and treatment and time interaction (P < 0.05). However, worm burden, female worm fecundity, parasite length, and mucosal inflammatory cell count were similar between the groups.