Haemonchosis

Another rather nasty worm. This is called the 'barber's pole worm' because when it feeds on blood the gut and uterus twisted together appear bright red.

• Abomasum of cattle, sheep and goats with a PPP of three weeks. 
• The larvae develop in the mucosa and can undergo HYPOBIOSIS (another fact I casually forget).
• The adults are voracious blood feeders.

Pathogenesis

• Adults feed on and erode the abomasal wall.
• This results in:

1. Severe haemorrhagic enteritis.
2. Severe anaemia- blood loss.
3. Oedema.
4. Weight loss.

Epidemiology

• L3 cannot survive the winter unlike all other species encountered so far.
• The ewe again is the main source of pasture contamination (but not with nematodirus).
• Disease= late summer like PGE.
• L3 develop in 4-5 days at 30 degrees. 

Diagnosis

• Clinical signs.
• Season.
• FEC (10,00 epg in faeces, although not 100% reliable for worm burden).