Field evaluation of FAMACHA in detecting haemonchosis in indigenous sheep of Tamil Nadu: Correlation with volume of packed red cell and faecal egg count

The FAMACHA system was developed in South Africa and has been tested in various geographical regions on sheep for targeted selective treatment with anthelmintics against gastrointestinal parasitism, particularly Haemonchus contortus. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the FAMACHA chart in different indigenous sheep breeds of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. The investigation involved 160 animals representing the Madras Red, Mecheri, Vembur and Nilagiri breeds. Faecal egg counts, haematological parameters, ocular mucous membrane photographs and FAMACHA scores were recorded monthly from 40 animals of each breed. In Madras Red sheep, higher FAMACHA scores were consistently associated with lower Volume of Packed Red Cell (VPRC) values and higher Egg per gram of faeces (EPG) counts, demonstrating a positive correlation. In Mecheri and Nilagiri breeds, FAMACHA scores showed a stronger correlation with VPRC, while in the Vembur breed, over 50 of the animals exhibited a positive relationship between eye scores, VPRC, and EPG values. Overall, a significant negative correlation was observed between FAMACHA scores and VPRC. The study concluded that a negative correlation was observed between FAMACHA scores and VPRC values, indicating that higher FAMACHA scores were associated with lower packed cell volumes (anaemia).