Gut and Lung Worms


Things to do at housing

Steps you should be taking now to protect your herd

Beef

  • Check if youngstock needs worming for gut worms at housing using faecal egg counts (FECs). If infection risk is high, use a product that contains a macrocyclic lactone (ML) to kill off inhibited Ostertagia worms to reduce the risk of Type ll ostertagiosis later in the winter. Adult cattle should not require any treatment for gut worms.
  • There is no natural immunity to liver fluke, so all ages of stock must be assessed for treatment where there is a history, or risk of infection. Check fluke forecasts and abattoir returns to monitor presence of fluke
  • Blood test a group of first season grazing calves (as sentinels) two weeks after housing to check whether they have been in contact with liver fluke in the summer

Dairy

  • Check if youngstock needs worming for gut worms at housing using faecal egg counts (FECs). If infection risk is high, use a product that contains macrocyclic lactone (ML) to kill off inhibited Ostertagia worms to reduce the risk of Type ll ostertagiosis later in the winter. Adult cattle should not require any treatment for gut worms
  • Take a bulk milk sample to test if the milking herd has been exposed to liver fluke.
  • There is no natural immunity to liver fluke, so all ages of stock must be assessed for treatment where there is a history, or risk of infection. Check fluke forecasts and use abattoir returns to monitor presence of fluke

Resources

Vet, academic or researcher?

Take a look in Resources for more detailed information on all topics.

Within the UK the most economically important cattle roundworms are Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora. Infection with these gutworms causes Parasitic Gastroenteritis (PGE), the main impact of which is suboptimal production as a consequence of reduced feed intake and nutrient absorption. PGE is most common in first-grazing season stock, as they are potentially ingesting large numbers of over-wintered larvae but have not yet developed immunity.

Lungworm (Dictyocaulus viviparus), causes parasitic bronchitis commonly known as ‘husk’ or ‘hoose’.  The life cycle is similar to that of gutworms except that larvae rather than eggs are passed out in the faeces. Heavy stocking densities and wet mild summers can increase the risk of pastures being contaminated with large numbers of infective larvae.   Lungworm typically infects young cattle during their first grazing season.

Female cooperia roundworm photographed under a microscope
Female cooperia roundworm photographed under a microscope

 

    Cows Resources

  1. Control of roundworms in cattle (COWS Guide, September 2023)
  2. Control of lungworm in cattle (COWS Guide, September 2023)
  3. Responsible use and disposal of parasite treatments (COWS, December 2022)
  4. Integrated parasite control on cattle farms (COWS Guide, September 2023)

    External Resources

  1. It's a lung story - Mark Pass' thesis on lungworm 2022 (Mark Pass MSc Project Report. May 2022)
  2. Make lungworm control a priority this spring (Article by Mary Vickers)
  3. Additional tool for parasite control (Article by Professor Andy Forbes)