Practical application of fecal testing for internal parasites

The article reviews the most important helminth parasites of cattle, sheep and goats in the United States and briefly de­scribes the situation with regard to anthelmintic resistance. Reasons for fecal testing are proposed, and which groups of animals should be tested and when they should be tested are discussed. The limitations of fecal egg counts are summarized. Recommendations for fecal sampling are given. The pros and cons of the McMaster, Mini-FLOTAC and centrifugation fecal flotation methods are discussed. The use of a Baermann sedi­mentation for lungworms and tests for Fasciola hepatica are covered. Available methods for the identification of strongylid (trichostrongyle/strongyle) nematodes are summarized. The new guidelines for the conduct of a fecal egg count reduction test are discussed.