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Barber’s Pole Worm & Liver Fluke

I planed to write a general article on worms in alpacas, but found it was a topic more suited to a book than an article. I decided instead to focus on two internal parasites, Barber’s Pole Worms and Liver Fluke, which are particularly troublesome for alpacas.

Barber’s Pole Worm (Haemonchus contortus), are most commonly found in all sheep production districts in Queensland and the northern half of NSW where summer rainfall is common or dominant. It is less of a problem in the winter rainfall areas of Australia, but localised pockets exist in all states. It is a bloodsucker and can have a severe impact on all classes of stock.

Barber’s Pole worms reproduce at a rapid rate with female barber's pole laying up to 10,000 eggs per day. By the time clinical signs such as pale gums, eyes and skin (anaemia) and 'bottle jaw' (oedema) are present the infestation is very high and the animal is in serious trouble - some alpacas have died as a result of damage caused by Barber’s Pole worms.  Testing fecal samples for egg numbers and cultivating eggs into larvae to identify the presence of Barbers Pole and treating early is the best way to protect your alpacas from this devastating parasite.

Managing the risk the risk of Barber’s Pole includes implementing good pasture and dung management, quarantining new animals, providing adequate nutrition, and understanding when seasonal and environmental conditions favor the hatching of Barber’s Pole worm larvae and ingestion by stock.

There are many options to treat barbers pole worm. A variety of chemical drenches can be used to kill Barber’s Pole worms but it is important to do a worm test after treatment to ensure it was successful. Some breeders have noted a reduction in worm eggs with a non chemical treatment of garlic and ginger; however this has not been supported with scientific studies.

As Barber’s Pole is such a serious problem for alpacas I recommend every breeder consult with a vet to develop a sound management program to deal with this prolific and devastating parasite.

For more information on Barber’s Pole Worm visit http://www.wormboss.com.au/LivePage.aspx?pageId=437

 Update: Where I live we have had some summer rain, that in conjunction with warmer temperatures are ideal conditions for hatching of Barber’s Pole larvae. Our local agricultural newsletter has advised farmers than currently over 60% of worm eggs found in sheep populations are from Barber’s Pole Worm.

Faecal Testing (Poo Sampling)

Doing a worm count from faecal samples is the best way to monitor worm burden in your herd. (Not so reliable for liver fluke). It provides valuable insight into an animal’s level of worm burden, the need for treatment, and the effectiveness of farm management/ control programs. Faecal testing after drenching is also important as it gives an indication if worms are developing resistant to a particular drench.

There are courses on how to conducting your own faecal tests, interpret the results and determine if stock require treatment. Alternatively you can send samples to a laboratory for testing and hatching of eggs into larvae to identify worm species. I use worm kits provided by my RLPB, the kit is free but there is a fee for testing. Results are emailed to me within a few days. Most vets will also test samples for you.

I send of samples for testing at least 3 times a year and more frequently if seasonal conditions (wet & warm weather etc) cause favourable conditions for increased larvae hatching rates.

Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica);

Liver fluke are found in most of Victoria and Tasmania, South-Eastern New South Wales, the irrigation areas of NSW and Victoria, the Northern Tablelands and North coast of NSW, and Southern Queensland. They are not found in Western Australia.

Adult liver flukes live in the bile ducts and juvenile flukes in the liver tissue. Alpacas are particularly susceptible to Liver fluke as they have relatively small livers. Alpacas have died as the result of infection with liver fluke.  Humans can also be infected.

Liver fluke relies on a small water snail (Lymnaea tomentose) as an intermediate host. Without snails fluke cannot become infective to other hosts and fluke infections only occur in the areas where the snails survive. Snails live in areas with moist ground, around spring fed creeks, irrigated areas and dams.

Symptoms and Diagnosis - Prior to death animals may have jaundice or abdominal pain, or be reluctant to move. Chronic fluke disease occurs after a slow accumulation of flukes and is caused by adult liver flukes in the bile ducts. Animals become progressively more anemic, listless and weak, lose their appetite, lose condition and are reluctant to move.

Some animals develop 'bottle jaw' - a swelling under the lower jaw associated with severe anemia. These signs may lead producers to misdiagnose the fluke infestation as a Barbers Pole infestation.

Conducting a fluke egg count. This is done differently to a normal worm egg count. It provides a 'present or absent' diagnosis. It can also be unreliable as fluke only shed their eggs sporadically.  Because of the potential of fluke to rapidly increase and the damage they cause, if fluke are present the animal should be treated. There is also a blood test for testing for the presence of liver fluke.

Treatment – There are a number of chemical drenches used to treat liver fluke. If your animals are diagnosed with fluke it is important you treat them quickly, I recommended working with a vet to provide the best possible treatment and supportive therapy if necessary.

A NOTE ON Drench resistance

Drench resistant is caused when resistant worms survive drenching, find a mate and reproduce. As drench resistant has a genetic component their offspring are all resistant. Over time and subsequent treatments the resistant worms make up a greater proportion of the worm population and when enough of the population are resistant treatment (drenching) is no longer effective. By routinely drenching worms have more opportunity to develop into a resistant strain. This is why it is important to only drench when there is a worm problem and also to test the effectiveness of drenching with a faecal test after treatment.