Survey on Endoparasites of Dairy Goats in North-Eastern Italy Using a Farm-Tailored Monitoring Approach

Abstract

With the spread of anthelmintic resistance (AR), endoparasite monitoring consolidates its role for a more sustainable targeting of treatments. A survey on endoparasites in dairy goat farms of north-eastern Italy was conducted to test a monitoring approach based on a farm-tailored sample size. Farm management and parasites control practices were investigated in 20 farms through a questionnaire survey. Further, fecal samples were collected (November 2018–September 2019) from 264 animals from 13 farms and were analyzed individually with a modified McMaster method and subsequently pooled to perform a coproculture. Coccidia (78.4%), gastrointestinal strongyles (37.9%), Strongyloides (28.4%), Skrjabinema (18.9%), Trichuris (8.0%) and Nematodirus/Marshallagia (0.4%) were identified. Abundances were higher for coccidia and gastrointestinal strongyles. Haemonchus (71%) was the dominant gastrointestinal nematode. Pasture and age class resulted in the main risk factors at the multivariable analysis through a negative binomial regression model. Results from farm monitoring indicate that our approach can be a cost-effective decision tool to target treatments more effectively, but farmers need to be educated about the importance of parasitological testing, which is currently scarcely implemented, against the risk of AR.

Keywords

• dairy goats
• endoparasites
• Italy
• sample size
• aggregation