The efficacy of two methods of spraying of acaricides on tick-infested sheep and goats was assessed. Two pyrethroid acaricides, 0.15% sumicidin and 0.20% butox were sprayed on individual animal one by one or on group of ten animals kept in small enclosures at a time, totally involving 40 sheep and 40 goats for each method. The efficacy, as seen from the total efficacy score (TES) of the former method of spraying, was found to be higher than the latter. But the advantages of the group spraying were that it saved the time in spraying and the quantity of acaricidal emulsion.

Survivability of Listeria monocytogenes in clay loam soil was examined at 30° C for a period of 35 days. The microorganism inoculated in soil steadily declined from 3.5 × 10 6 g -1 to 3.9 × 10 4 g -1 (P = 0.05) on 35 th days. Destruction of normal soil microflora by heat treatment resulted in marginal rise in 3.3 × 10 6 g -1 of L. monocytogenes to 4.2 × 10 6 g -1 during the first 7 days, followed by steady decline to 5.6 × 10 4 g -1 on 35 th days. Heat treated soil inoculated with lower concentration of L. monocytogenes (3.6 × 10 4 g -1 ) supported sharp rise in its population to 4.8 × 10 6 g -1 (P=0.05) during the first weak which gradually declined, but remained higher (6.1 × 10 4 g -1 ) than the initial load even on 35 th days. In non-sterile soil, the rise was less appreciable but L. monocytogenes maintained its levels (10 4 g -1 ) during the experimental period. Survivability of the microorganisms was also observed in the soil with added chicken manure, cattle manure or sheep/goat manure.

Anthelmintic resistance against commonly used anthelmintics (ivermectin, levamisole, morantel and fenbendazole) was studied in naturally occurring gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes in adult sheep of unorganized sheep farms of district Ludhiana (Punjab). After qualitative and quantitative screening of faeces of 100 sheep, fifty sheep having eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) 500 were randomly selected and divided into five equal groups. Ivermectin @ 200 ìg/kg body weight and levamisole @ 7.5 mg/kg body weight, injected subcutaneously, in two different groups, were 99.08 and 98.17 per cent effective,respectively. Whereas, fenbendazole @ 7.5 mg/kg body weight and morantel citrate @ 6.0 mg/kg body weight, orally was 66.28 and 95.41 per cent effective and the fifth group was kept as untreated control with natural exposure to gastrointestinal nematodes. Hence, it was concluded that the naturally occurring GI nematodes of sheep were susceptible for ivermectin and levamisole, suspected for resistance against morantel citrate and were resistant to fenbendazole.

Filix-mas a homeopathic drug consisting etherieal extract of male fern is used to remove the tape worms. The drug was tested for Moniezia expensa infection in sheep. Ten sheep naturally affected Moniezia expansa were used. Filix-mas 200 (10 _ 15 drops) was given three times a day orally to animals of the group A, while the sheep group B were kept as untreated control. Efficacy of the drug was observed by calculating faecal egg count reduction. It was found that Filix-mas could cure 100% monieziosis in sheep.