FAMACHA© method as an auxiliary strategy in the control of gastrointestinal helminthiasis of dairy goats under semiarid conditions of Northeastern Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate the utilization of FAMACHA© method as an auxiliary strategy to use the individual identification for the selective control of gastrointestinal helminthiasis in naturally infected dairy goats. The experiment was conducted on 63 farms in the towns of Passagem, Quixabá and Cacimba de Areia, semiarid region of the Paraíba state, Brazil. Fifty animals were used on each farm, being visited tree farms per month, totaling 1800 animals, between May 2009 and April 2010. The animals received no anthelmintic treatment for at least four months prior to the farm visits. All animals were subjected to parasitological faecal collection, blood sampling for packed cell volume and the visual/selective exam of the eye colour through the FAMACHA© method. Larvae culture was performed in every assessment on each farm. Haemonchus sp. was the most prevalent helminth (80.1%) on larval cultures. The use of this method allowed a reduction of 79.2% on anthelmintic application in dairy goats. The FAMACHA© method proved to be a viable auxiliary strategy to control gastrointestinal helminthiasis of dairy goats from a resource-poor area in the semiarid region of the Paraíba state, Northeastern Brazil.