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.

The sheep lungworm Dictyocaulus filaria is of world-wide distribution and causes verminous pneumonia which may result in weight loss and death of the infected sheep. The current investigation was carried out in an organized farm in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India during the period from 2012 to 2014. Infected sheep showed clinical illness varying from dullness, depression, moderate coughing, dyspnoea and labored breathing with little mortality. On necropsy, both larval and adult stages of lungworm were recovered from trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. The identity of the nematodes was confirmed as D. filaria based on the socks shaped spicules in males and anterior knob in the larva. Of the 55 animals, including 17 lambs examined during the study period, eight animals were confirmed to have died due to verminous pneumonia. Apart from that, in a few lambs, lung abscess was noticed. Though the infection was present throughout the year, the clinical illness was pronounced in dry summer (n=23) and rainy season of south west monsoon (n=19). The disease was managed by minimizing the exposure of lambs to the contaminated pasture and by deworming with two doses of levamisole hydrochloride @ 7.5 mg/ kg body weight at 21 day interval to control the lungworm infection in sheep.

Anthelmintics are used traditionally as an integral part of helminthic control strategies for grazing livestock to prevent production losses from parasitic infections. The continuous and indiscriminate use of the same anthelmintics over years together as the sole means of control are now failing due to the emergence of resistance strains of helminths. Resistance to the commonly used anthelmintics in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep has become an increasingly wide spread problem throughout the world. The present study was aimed to determine the resistance against albendazole, fenbendazole, levamisole and closantel in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Fifty five naturally infected Madras Red lambs of 6 - 12 months of age were selected and distributed randomly into five treatment groups of eleven animals each. Four groups were treated orally with albendazole (5mg/kg), fenbendazole (7mg/kg), levamisole (7.5m/kg) and closantel (10 mg/kg) respectively, while the fifth group served as untreated control.  Faecal samples were collected per rectum of each lamb just prior to treatment (pre treatment) and then on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after treatment. The anthelmintic resistance was evaluated by in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), post treatment larval culture and in vitro egg hatch assay. In the faecal egg count reduction test, albendazole reduced the faecal egg count by 86.50 per cent, 84.81 per cent, 85.28 per cent and 84.47 per cent respectively for four weeks after treatment. Faecal egg count reduction using fenbendazole was 92.64, 93.04, 90.80 and 90.06 per cent respectively for four weeks after treatment.  The per cent efficacy for levamisole and closantel was more than 95 per cent. The post treatment larval culture contained only Haemonchus contortus. In the in vitro egg hatch assay, the ED 50 value for benzimidazole was 0.299 µg thiabenazole/ml and levamisole showed an ED 50 value of 0.283 µg /ml.

Hydatidosis, caused by the larval stage of the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus is considered to be an important condition in herbivores such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats. Due to its presence in the food animals meant for meat purpose, the disease is considered to be of economic and public health significance owing to the impact it produces on the meat industry by condemnation of the affected organs. Food animals such as sheep, goats get infected by accidental ingestion of contaminated feed and water with the eggs of the tapeworm. Development of the cysts in the intermediate host such as sheep and goats occurs in the lungs, liver and other visceral organs. The disease remains asymptomatic in most cases in spite of the presence of the hydatid cysts for a long period. A study was undertaken to find out the incidence of the hydatid cysts in sheep and goats in the Corporation slaughter house by examination of the carcasses of the slaughtered sheep and goats. By the study, an overall incidence of 6.5% in sheep and 5.8% in goats were observed with the sheep harbouring more number of fertile hydatid cysts which plays a major role in dissemination of infection to dogs.

Tiruchy Black is one of the coarse wool breeds of sheep reared in Tamil Nadu. An investigation was undertaken to ascertain the migratory pattern and socio-economic status of Tiruchy Black sheep at 71 flocks in 53 villages of Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri Districts of Tamil Nadu. The migratory tracts were almost regular over the year in the breeding tract. A total of eight migratory tracts comprising of three major and five minor tracts were identified. The overall distance covered was 98.64 ± 1.13 km with a range of 15 to 128 km. The mean radial migratory distance was 184.12 ± 1.42 with range from 65 to 234 in major tracts and 34.12 ± 1.62 with a range of 15 to 64 Km in minor tracts. The Tiruchy Black sheep farmers family size was comprised of 2-5 numbers and both the genders were involved in sheep rearing. In the present study, it was observed that vast majority of sheep farmers belonged to the most backward (72.16 %), followed by backward (22.37 %) and others (5.47 %). Majority of sheep farmers belonged to the ‘Kurumba Gounders’ (96.00%). A small proportion of them in small farms belonged to the Vanniyars (4.00%). Statistical analysis revealed no significant relation between caste, community and farm size. Depending upon the condition of the animal, prices of adult rams and ewes varied from Rs. 7,000 to 8,000 and from Rs.5000 to 6,000 respectively. Surplus ram lambs were sold at the age of 3 to 5 months for Rs.1,750 to 2,500. It is concluded that the Tiruchy Black sheep farmers were following traditionally migratory pattern over the generations and which helps improves their socio­economic status in the breeding tract of Tamil Nadu.