The Goat as a Risk Factor for Parasitic Infections in Ovine Flocks

• Main Authors: David García-Dios, Rosario Panadero, Pablo Díaz, Miguel Viña, Susana Remesar, Alberto Prieto, Gonzalo López-Lorenzo, Néstor Martínez-Calabuig, Pablo Díez-Baños, Patrocinio Morrondo, Ceferino M. López
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: sheep; goat; mixed management; risk factor; parasitic infection
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/2077

Small ruminants in northwestern Spain are frequently managed in mixed flocks. Sheep–goat joint management has not been considered a risk factor for parasite infection, so the main objective of this study was to establish if mixed management with goats supposes a risk factor for parasitic infections in ovine flocks. Two thousand and ninety-three sheep were sampled from 74 commercial meat ovine flocks for diagnostic of the main parasites. Goat contact was a risk factor for sheep to be infected by protostrongylids, <i>Dictyocaulus filaria</i>, gastrointestinal nematodes and <i>Eimeria</i> spp. In contrast, <i>Moniezia</i>, <i>Fasciola hepatica</i>, <i>Dicrocoelium dendriticum</i> and Paramphistomidae prevalences were not influenced. Sheep–goat mixed management can be considered as a risk factor, since goats would act as a source of pasture contamination for interspecific parasites (protostrongylids, <i>Dictyocaulus filaria</i> and gastrointestinal nematodes). In relation to host-specific parasites, such as <i>Eimeria</i> spp., goats cannot be considered as a source for sheep, but competition for food and spaces between both small ungulates can suppose a reduced grazing area to sheep, provoking high environmental contamination and stress that facilitate their infection. Future epidemiological studies for parasitic infections in small ruminants should consider sheep–goat mixed management as a possible risk factor to be included in multivariate analyses.