Monitoramento helmíntico de cordeiros suplementados com capsaicina durante a gestação

Abstract

The biggest health problem faced in sheep farming is worm infestation, especially hematophagous helminths of the species Haemonchus contortus. Thus, this study aimed to monitor helminth contamination of lambs gestated in different production systems with the inclusion of capsaicin. The study was carried out at the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), Dois Vizinhos/PR campus, at the Sheep and Goat Farming Teaching and Research Unit (UNEPE). Twelve newborn lambs, male and female, with an initial weight of 3.50 kg of live weight (LW) in the lactation phase, originating from the crossbreeding of the Dorper and Santa Inês breeds, gestated in different production systems, namely: GCC: confined matrices throughout gestation, with the inclusion of capsaicin in the diet; SUN: pregnant dams in full sun system during the first 2/3 of gestation and confined during the 3/3 of pregnancy. Evaluations were performed to estimate the degree of anemia using the Famacha method, egg count per gram of feces (EPG) and identification of helminth species through larval culture (coproculture). The results showed that there was no difference between treatments, only a significant variation between the evaluation periods (P<0.05). An increase in the parasite load was seen in the EPG at 42 days, which may be related to the greater consumption of forage by the lambs and the still immature immune response during this period. Coproculture revealed the predominance of Haemonchus contortus (42.85%), being associated with the highest socres in the Famacha method, especially in the group without capsaicin. It is concluded that capsaicin did not present a significant antiparasitic effect, requiring further studies on the subject and the use of larger experimental numbers.