WormFax explanatory notes

Each row in the tables contains the summary data for a WormTest.

WormTests generally consist of worm egg counts (WECs) for 10 individual sheep from a mob.

The individual strongyle egg counts (reported in eggs per gram of faeces (EPG)) are not shown, but the average, high and low WECs for each WormTest are shown.

In addition to strongyle egg counts, a larval differentiation or culture (“worm typing”) is often done as well, showing the percentage of strongyle eggs coming from different ‘strongyle’ worm species, including:

• Haemonchus contortus (barber’s pole worm),
• Trichostrongylus spp (black scour worm),
• Ostertagia (=Teladorsagia) circumcincta (small brown stomach worm; ‘Tel'),
• Cooperia spp (intestinal worm; ‘Coo%’), and
• Oesophagostomum spp ( large bowel worm; less commonly nodule worm; ‘Oes’).

The eggs of all these species are very similar in appearance.

The eggs of Nematodirus spp (thin-necked intestinal worms; ‘Nem’) are quite different from strongyle eggs under the microscope, and the counts for these are reported separately.

Liver fluke (‘L-Fluke’) eggs are also quite different from strongyle eggs, and are counted using a different technique.

Age and sex descriptors may be abbreviated:

• Age: A=adult, L= lamb (< 4 months), W=weaner (4-11 months), H=hogget (12-24 months).
• Sex: W=wether, E=ewe, R=ram, M or MXD=mixed.