On the Intestinal Parasites of Sheep and other Ruminants in Scotland

Abstract

1. From an examination of over 700 sheep of Scottish origin a list of the parasites found in the intestinal tract has been prepared.2. The commonest parasite found is Monodontus trigonocephalus, a worm which occurs also in goats and cattle. This parasite can be found at any season.3. Nematodirus sp. also is extremely common during the warmer months.4. From a systematic geographical examination of sheep it has been ascertained that Monodontus trigonocephalus occurs in every district in Scotland ; and of 40 sheep examined in this part of the enquiry, 38 were found to be infected. Thirty specimens have been recovered from an apparently healthy sheep, but usually the number is much smaller (7–10).