LIVESTOCK producers are being warned to be on the look-out for barber's pole worm following recent summer rainfall, which has been welcomed through some areas of Queensland and NSW.
The parasite, which attaches to the lining of the gut can be fatal for all sheep, and is particularly prevalent during wet and warm conditions.
Livestock Biosecurity Network (LBN) NSW regional officer Louise Pearce said during such high-risk times producers should increase their monitoring and testing.
"They should be alert for the clinical signs of infection such as anaemia, which causes pale to white lower mucous membranes (inner eyelids), reluctance to move and finally death and drop off the mob when mustered," she said.
"Producers should monitor the parasite burden with worm egg counts before problems develop.
"However, it is still important to keep a close eye out for other signs of infection which are often the first indicators in the paddock that something is amiss."
Mrs Pearce said researchers at the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with AusDiagnostics, had recently announced a new DNA test for the specific diagnosis of roundworm such as barber's pole worm.
"This new diagnostic approach uses minuscule amounts of roundworm DNA present in the faeces of infected sheep," she said.
"The test can be conducted within two to three days, rather than the seven days required for the conventional larval culture technique, and has improved sensitivity and accuracy," she said.
While barber's pole worm infections are regular events in summer rainfall regions, it's not to say they will not occur in areas that are not well known for barber's pole.
"Barber's pole worms are very good producers of eggs and numbers build up rapidly in the right conditions leading to large-scale losses - once an outbreak begins," she said.
"The flock should be treated immediately with an effective drench."
Armidale district veterinarian Steve Eastwood said the New England and Northern Tablelands had good December rain off the back of what was a few years of record low rainfall.
"The big problem farmers face is their management plans are all out of whack after dry periods," he said.
"Barber's pole love a paddock where set stocking occurs.
"Graziers really need to monitor their sheep every four to six weeks."
Mr Eastwood said an adult worm laid 10,000 eggs a day and one worm drank 0.05 milligrams of blood per day.
If producers count eggs and get 5000 eggs per gram, it's the equivalent of about 1000 worms in a sheep, he said.
If producers have 1000 worms in a sheep, it is losing 50 millimetres of blood a day and on average, sheep have about five litres of blood.
"In an affected sheep, having 1000 worms is not unusual," he said.
Farmers need to drench and they need to know which one works for them, he said.
They can do a drench resistance trial every two years and always monitor 10 days after drenching to see if it has worked.
"People have to be aware, if they stay on top of it now, it won't come back to bite them in autumn," Mr Eastwood said.
"The most expensive drench to give your sheep is the one that doesn't work."
Mr Eastwood said barber's pole worms would proliferate in ideal conditions.
"People should be careful no matter the length or amount feed," he said.
"Barber's pole will still be an issue, and set stocking will be a killer at the end of the day.
"With moisture about barber's pole, other worms and fly strike are issues to keep in mind and watch for.
"It would be criminal to think after all the feeding people have done in the past few years, they then lose their stock to barber's pole."
Landmark Tamworth livestock agent Simon Rafferty said it was best to monitor sheep if buying from areas where barber's pole was a common issue.
"He said people with feed were starting to buy lambs from properties as store lambs were so hard to buy.
"I think people just expect that it's an issue and use a knock down drench and quarantine when they buy in new lambs," Mr Rafferty said.
However, he advised producers to spend the money on preventative measures so they don't get caught out and lose stock.
Counting eggs pays off at Wean
NEW to breeding sheep and keeping their wits about them, Ian and Ashley Gardner "Stratford", Wean, run 1100 Dorper ewes in their family operation.
The Gardner family have been in the Dorper game for more than 18 months and when purchasing, they keep a close eye on health and welfare.
Mr Gardner (pictured) has bought sheep from Tamworth, Condobolin, Burren Junction and Yeoval areas, all of which aren't prevalent barber's pole areas, but he remains cautious.
"I've heard in the past this area has had trouble with barber's pole but we haven't had a huge issue with it," he said.
They have had several falls of rain in the past four months, and now have good green pick.
Mr Gardner has been testing his faecal worm egg counts with every mob bought in.
The sheep are drenched on entry to their property to eliminate anything they might bring in from elsewhere.
They are then quarantined in a paddock for about three days before being put into a "clean" paddock.
"We did egg counts back at the start October to see what we had," he said.
"Our numbers weren't high."
The Gardners drenched everything with Cydectin Weanerguard in October within a 10-day period and checked the egg count after that.
"The faecal egg count showed it wiped out everything."
Mr Gardner uses a knock down drench with the lambs and a residual on the breeding stock.