Practical guide for microscopic identification of infectious gastrointestinal nematode larvae in sheep from Sardinia, Italy, backed by molecular analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) are ubiquitous in small ruminant farming, representing a major health and production concern. Given their differences in pathogenicity and the current problems regarding anthelmintic resistance, specific diagnosis of GIN is of significant importance. At present, the most widely applied method for this entails culture and microscopic analysis of third-stage larvae, allowing for identification at least to the genus level. Overall, a variety of keys for microscopic analysis have been published, showing substantial variation. Given this fact, this study aimed to produce a practical and updated guide for the identification of infective ovine GIN larvae.

Methods

Using existing keys and protocols, a total of 173larvae of the most common s

SUBMITTER: Knoll S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8477562 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature