THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BODY STRIKE AND DERMATOPHILOSIS OF SHEEP UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS

Abstract

The association of dermatophilosis with body strike of sheep caused by Lucilia cuprina was studied in a controlled environment. When sheep with areas of wet normal fleece and areas of wet fleece containing scabs induced by infection of the skin with Dermatophilus congolensis were exposed to gravid L. cuprina the flies oviposited only on dermatophilosis-affected areas. In wet dermatophilosis-affected fleece, naturally oviposited L. cuprina eggs hatched and the larvae developed to the 2nd instar stage. Artificially implanted L. cuprina eggs hatched in both wet dermatophilosis-affected fleece and wet normal fleece. In wet dermatophilosis-affected fleece the larvae from implanted eggs developed normally but in wet normal fleece they did not develop past the 1st instar stage. Wet but otherwise uncomplicated dermatophilosis lesions are apparently attractive to L. cuprina and provide sufficient protein to allow larval development to take place.