Morphological identification of nematode larvae of small ruminants and cattle simplified

A simplified system has been developed to facilitate identification of nematode larvae of the common nematodes of cattle, sheep and goats. Firstly, in addition to the characteristics conventionally used for identification (such as the shape of the cranial extremity and numbers of intestinal cells), the lengths of the infective sheath tails of infective larvae of each genus/species are related to that of Trichostrongylus spp. instead of using measurements for differentiation. For instance, if the mean length of the sheath tail (the distance the sheath extends caudad beyond the caudal tip of the larva) of Trichostrongylus spp. is assumed to be X, then that of Haemonchus contortus is 2-2.7X, and that of Oesophagostomum spp. from sheep is 4-7X, etc. Secondly, by estimating the proportion of the sheath tail of a larva comprised of a terminal thin whip-like filament, identification is aided, particularly in those L3 of species that resemble one another closely, such as Chabertia ovina and Oesophagostomum venulosum or Oesophagostomum columbianum. After some practice with the system it is usually necessary to measure only one or two sheath tails of L3 in a mixed population, whereupon the identity of most of the remaining L3 can be estimated in relation to those measured, without a need for further measurements. The keys were found to facilitate differential larval identification and are particularly useful for training. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.