Environmental and genetic factors affecting faecal worm egg counts in Merinos divergently selected for reproduction

Abstract

Infestation with gastrointestinal nematodes is probably among the most pervasive problems in small-stock production worldwide. Faecal worm egg count (FWEC) has been reported as an indirect measure of parasite resistance in livestock production. Environmental and genetic factors of FWEC were assessed, using data from Merino sheep that were selected divergently for reproductive performance at Elsenburg Research Farm. Data consisted of animals born in 1995 - 1996, 1999, and 2001 - 2013. Two datasets were considered: 1869 FWEC records of animals born in the years provided above, and 851 records of the divergently selected lines and the reciprocal cross between them, born in 2003 - 2008. Rectal faecal sample grabs were obtained from individual animals after drenching had been withheld for approximately 6 to 10 weeks, generally in April. Nematode eggs in these samples were counted using the McMaster technique, with a sensitivity of 100 eggs/g wet faeces. The fixed effect of birth year x sex interaction was significant, with rams showing higher mean values for FWEC than ewes in most years, but these results were not consistent. FWEC showed significant but low heritability, estimates ranging from 0.06 for untransformed data to 0.10 for log-transformed data, suggesting that selection for low FWEC could be slow. There was no hybrid vigour and compelling evidence of genetic change in log-transformed FWEC in either line, suggesting a negligible genetic correlation between FWEC and reproduction. In this experiment, the researchers studied animals that had been exposed to parasite challenge in autumn. Therefore, the results of this study cannot be applied directly to a situation in which faecal samples were collected in other seasons. Future work is needed to determine the effect of season on the heritability of parasite resistance in South African conditions.

Keywords: Breeding values, gastrointestinal nematodes, genetic parameters, heritability, resistance