Moniezia infection in first season grazing cattle pastured in the Alps and Alpine Forelands in Bavaria, Germany

Abstract

Moniezia cestode infection of livestock is generally regarded as being of little significance. No pathology associated with Moniezia infection has been reported from cattle. The repeated diagnosis of Moniezia infection in young cattle included in six nematode control grazing studies or examined in two helminth parasite surveys conducted over the past two decades in the south of Germany stimulated analysis of this data to draw conclusions about the epidemiology of bovine Moniezia infection.

Moniezia eggs (phenotypically of M. benedeni) were identified in 167/1442 fecal specimens collected periodically from 262 cattle after their turnout on pastures in the Alps or Alpine Forelands for about four to five months during the period of May to November in five studies. Ninety-two of the 262 animals were demonstrated shedding Moniezia eggs on at least one occasion. Based on the occurrence and proportion of positive samples, Moniezia egg shedding was first observed in July (4.2 %), about eight weeks after the start of grazing, peaked end of August/early September (20.6 %) and declined thereafter towards October/November (7.7 %).

The individual tapeworm burden was overall low (range, 1 to 11 cestodes) with 61 % of the tapeworm positive animals harboring one or two cestodes only. The pattern of Moniezia egg shedding and the necropsy of cattle indicated that the infection is contracted shortly after turnout in late spring. Under conditions of continuous challenge, the cattle were acquiring immune protection to the infection, with lower prevalence and tapeworm burden in animals grazing several months compared with cattle grazing for a few weeks.