Rashid Mohammed H, Stevenson Mark A, Campbell Angus J D, Vaughan Jane L, Beveridge Ian, Jabbar Abdul
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
Cria Genesis, PO Box 406, Ocean Grove, Victoria 3226, Australia.
Vet Parasitol. 2019 Jan;265:91-100. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.12.006. Epub 2018 Dec 21.
This study aimed to assess current worm control practices used by Australian alpaca farmers with an online questionnaire survey. The questionnaire contained questions about farm demography and general husbandry practices, farmers' knowledge about gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) and their importance, the use of worm control strategies and anthelmintics, and grazing management. A link for the questionnaire survey was sent to all (n = 954) registered members of the Australian Alpaca Association in July 2015. The response rate for the questionnaire was 25% (239/954). The majority of respondents were from small (≤ 50 alpacas; 64%, 153/239) followed by medium (50-100 alpacas; 24%, 57/239) and large (>100 alpacas; 12%, 29/239) farms. Findings revealed that the majority of respondents kept Huacaya alpacas to produce high-quality fibre and alpacas were usually kept with other domestic ruminants (e.g. cattle and sheep). Although half of alpaca farmers (114/220) perceived that GINs were an important health problem of alpacas, with Haemonchus spp. being the most common nematode, the majority of them (174/220) used anthelmintics for nematode control. Macrocyclic lactones, a commercial combination of four anthelmintics (abamectin, albendazole, closantel and levamisole) and monepantel were the three most commonly used dewormers by Australian alpaca farmers. Although a significant proportion (166/213) of respondents used a quarantine drench for alpacas, very few respondents were aware of strategic deworming and the issue of anthelmintic resistance. Alpaca farmers mostly used anthelmintics at the dose rate recommended for sheep (47%, 79/167) and cattle (9%, 15/167), though some used 1.5 (31%, 51/167) and 2 (13%, 22/167) times the dose rate recommended for sheep. The majority of small herds used anthelmintics at the dose rate recommended for sheep and cattle while medium and large herds used anthelmintics at 1.5 to 2 times the dose rate recommended for sheep. This study provides invaluable insights into the demography of alpaca farms in Australia, husbandry practices used by alpaca farmers and their knowledge about worms and their control, thereby paving the way for developing guidelines for the control of GINs of alpacas.
本研究旨在通过在线问卷调查评估澳大利亚羊驼养殖户当前的驱虫实践。问卷包含有关农场人口统计学和一般饲养管理实践的问题、养殖户对胃肠道线虫（GINs）的了解及其重要性、驱虫策略和驱虫药的使用情况以及放牧管理。2015年7月，调查问卷链接被发送给澳大利亚羊驼协会的所有（n = 954）注册会员。问卷的回复率为25%（239/954）。大多数受访者来自小型农场（≤50只羊驼；64%，153/239），其次是中型农场（50 - 100只羊驼；24%，57/239）和大型农场（>100只羊驼；12%，29/239）。研究结果显示，大多数受访者饲养瓦卡亚羊驼以生产高质量纤维，羊驼通常与其他家养反刍动物（如牛和羊）混养。尽管一半的羊驼养殖户（114/220）认为GINs是羊驼的一个重要健康问题，其中血矛线虫属是最常见的线虫，但他们中的大多数（174/220）使用驱虫药来控制线虫。大环内酯类、四种驱虫药（阿维菌素、阿苯达唑、氯氰碘柳胺和左旋咪唑）的商业组合以及莫能菌素是澳大利亚羊驼养殖户最常用的三种驱虫药。尽管相当一部分受访者（166/213）对羊驼使用了隔离驱虫，但很少有受访者了解策略性驱虫和驱虫药耐药性问题。羊驼养殖户大多按照推荐给绵羊的剂量率（47%，79/167）和牛的剂量率（9%，15/167）使用驱虫药，不过也有一些养殖户使用的剂量是推荐给绵羊剂量率的1.5倍（31%，51/167）和2倍（13%，22/167）。大多数小群体按照推荐给绵羊和牛的剂量率使用驱虫药，而中型和大型群体则按照推荐给绵羊剂量率的1.5至2倍使用驱虫药。本研究为了解澳大利亚羊驼农场的人口统计学、羊驼养殖户的饲养管理实践以及他们对线虫及其控制的了解提供了宝贵的见解，从而为制定羊驼GINs控制指南铺平了道路。
