The potential of nematophagous fungi to control the free-living stages of nematode parasites of sheep: feeding and block studies with Duddingtonia flagrans
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Abstract
A series of feeding trials was conducted with penned sheep harboring Trichostrongylus
colubriformis infections. They were offered barley grains supporting the growth of
the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans. It was shown that as little as 5g
of grain/sheep per day was sufficient to virtually eliminate larval numbers from faecal
culture. This effect persisted for the time that the fungal grains were fed, and for
up to 2 days following cessation of feeding this material. Macerated fungal grains
were also incorporated into a range of feed block formulations. In all these, D. flagrans
was found to survive the manufacturing process and resulted in significant reductions
in larval numbers in faecal cultures set up during the feeding period to sheep. This
was observed even for sheep that showed only modest and irregular block consumption.
These studies demonstrate that supplementary feeding or block administration offer
potential deployment options for D. flagrans as a means of biological control of nematode
parasites of livestock.