Helminth Parasitism In Cattle From Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) After Their First Grazing Season

Fifteen Holstein-Friesian bulls which grazed together for one season (April to November) in Schleswig-Holstein were necropsied after housing for 2 to 6 weeks. The approximately 12-month old bulls weighed 378 to 491 kg at slaughter and did not receive any anthelmintic on pasture. The most prevalent species of the gastrointestinal tract was Ostertagia ostertagi (prevalence; geometric mean worm count; minimum-maximum) (100%; 1,355; 130-1,590) followed by Cooperia (C.) oncophora (86.7 %; 343; 20-14,800), Oesophagostomum (Oe.) radiatum (86.7 %; 3.7; 1-42), Trichostrongylus axei (80 %; 65; 50-910), C. punctata (73.3 %; 14.8; 10-140), Trichuris (T.) discolor (73.3 %; 4.8; 1-108) and Skrjabinagia lyrata (60 %; 8.5; 18-260) which were recorded in more than half of the animals. Less frequently, C. surnabada (46.7 %; 18; 10-1025), T. skrjabini (33.3 %; 0.7; 2-14), Nematodirus helvetianus (13.3 %; 0.5; 20-30), Spiculopteragia bohmi (6.7 %; 0.2; [26]), Capillaria bovis (6.7 %; 0.2; [10]) and Oe. venulosum (6.7 %; 0.2; [9]) were recovered. Inhibited fourth-stage larvae of the Ostertagiinae were recovered from the abomasal mucosae of all bulls (100 %; 13,159; 5,800-56,950). The abomasum harboured the highest worm burden followed by the small intestine and large intestine (geometric means): 15,565, 461 and 10 nematodes, respectively. Inhibited fourth-stage larvae amounted to 90 % of the abomasal Ostertagiinae. Dictyocaulus viviparus was recorded in 73.3 % of the animals with a geometric mean count of 12.8 (1-822 per animal).