Extruded urea levels in lamb supplementation in rainy tropical savanna conditions: the triad host-gastrointestinal nematodes-environment

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production 2023-06, Vol.55 (3), p.193-193, Article 193
• Main Authors: da Silva Roberto, Francisca Fernanda, dos Santos Difante, Gelson, Costa, Roberto Germano, de Almeida Borges, Fernando, Ítavo, Luis Carlos Vinhas, Ítavo, Camila Celeste Brandão Ferreira, Ribeiro, Neila Lidiany, Rodrigues, Jéssica Gomes, de Gusmão Pereira, Marislayne, de Aquino Monteiro, Gabriela Oliveira, de Lima Véras, Emmanuel Lievio, Gurgel, Antonio Leandro Chaves, Costa Araujo, Carolina Marques, da Costa, Ana Beatriz Graciano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - parasitology; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Eggs; Extrusion rate; Feces - parasitology; Grassland; Haemonchus; Intestinal parasites; Larvae; Life Sciences; Nematoda; Nematode Infections - parasitology; Nematode Infections - veterinary; Nematodes; Ovum; Parasite Egg Count - veterinary; Parasitic diseases; Parasitology; Pasture; Pastures; Regular Articles; Savannahs; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - parasitology; Sheep, Domestic; Soil; Soil conditions; Soils; Urea; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Weight; Zoology
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03607-2

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of increasing levels of extruded urea (EU, Amireia®) in the diet of lambs naturally infected by gastrointestinal nematodes on the interactions in the host-pasture-soil components in edaphoclimatic conditions of the tropical rainy savanna. A total of 60 Texel lambs with a mean initial weight of 20.7 ± 0.87 and mean age of 2.5 ± 0.70 months were distributed in a completely randomized design, in five treatments consisting of different levels of EU supplementation viz., 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 g 100 kg −1 live weight (LW). The performance of lambs, parasitological variables, gastrointestinal nematodes (NGIs), and larvae recovery in pasture and soil were evaluated. The highest animal performance was observed in animals that received 0 to 18 g kg −1 LW (146.0 g day −1 ) and the lowest in animals supplemented with 24 g kg −1 LW (81.0 g day −1 ) of EU. The body condition score (BCS) was similar in the animals ( P  > 0.05). Parasitic infection did not differ as a function of EU level ( P  > 0.05). Eggs of Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Cooperia spp., and Oesophagostomum spp. were found. The largest amount of larvae in the L1/L2 and L3 stages was recovered in the pastures occupied by the animals that received supplementation 0 g kg −1 LW of EU (750 larvae), the smallest in those that the animals received 6 g 100 kg −1 LW of EU (54 larvae). The presence of larvae in the L1/L2 stages changed significantly ( P