Studies on Haemonchus contortus. XII. Effect of Trichostrongylus axei in Dorper lambs on natural pasture lightly infested with H. contortus.

Weaned Dorper lambs on natural pasture were predosed with 40 000 infective larvae (L3) of Trichostrongylus axei, irradiated (0,3 kGy) L3 of T. axei or closantel at 10 mg/kg either in September or November 1978 and were compared with Merino yearlings predosed with 40 000 L3 of T. axei in November 1977. The following summer (December-March) only 178,6 mm of rain fell and very few H. contortus were present on pastures. Artificial challenge with 20 000 L3 of Haemonchus contortus with the local strain from the University of Pretoria's experimental farm was given 6-7 months after predosing with T. axei. When compared with the controls, significant reductions occurred only in Group 11 (T. axei irradiated at 0,3 kGy on Day +63) (P = 0,025); Group 2 (T. axei on Day 0) (P = 0,003) and Group 4 (T. axei and closantel on Day 0) (P = 0,049). We concluded that predosing with T. axei was unsuccessful in Dorpers and Merinos artificially challenged 6-7 months later with H. contortus.