FAMACHA : Important Tool for Anthelmintic Intervention Against Haemonchosis in Sheep and Goats
Ajit Kumar
Head ,Department of Veterinary Parasitology ,Bihar Veterinary College, Patna
Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna-800014
Haemonchosis is caused by a roundworm namely Haemonchus contortus. It is widely prevalent disease of sheep and goats having economic importance. Haemochous contortus is a voracious blood feeders parasite which causes anaemia and reduced productivity and can lead to death in heavily infected animals. It has been estimated that each worm sucks about 0.05 ml of blood per day by ingestion or seepage from lesions. Haemonchosis is primarily a disease of tropical and sub-tropical regions. However, high humidity, at least in microclimate of the faeces and the herbage is also essential for larval development and their survival. It is a serious health problem of sheep and goats, which affects their productivity due to high morbidity and mortality. As per available scientific reports, the annual preventive measures for haemonchosis alone in these animals have been estimated to be amount to approximately 26 million USD in Kenya, 46 million USD in the Republic of South Africa and 103 million USD in India.
Based on published data, Haemonchus contortus appears to be the species mostly involved in resistance against anthelmintics. The widespread presence of Haemonchus strains resistant to the various anthelmintics such as Benzimidazoles, Imidazothiazoles, Macrocyclic lactones, Closantel and Monepantel, makes the control measures difficult. Hence, there is need for adaptive an alternative method for the control. One of the most promising approaches is to treat only those animals which require attention in terms of worm management. “FAMACHA” method has facilitated quick identification of Haemonchus contortus infected sheep and goats without the aid of any laboratory procedures. This method has advantage in conducting the spot diagnosis of haemonchosis infected animals and accordingly deworming them with appropriate anthelmintics. In mass deworming programme, non-infected animals are also dewormed which may be a factor for developing anthelmintic resistance. In FAMACHA method only severely infected animals which need treatment are dewormed.
The “FAMACHA” is a system evolved for treating only those animals unable to cope with current Haemonchus contortus challenge on pasture, by using clinical anaemia as the determinant. It an acronym (FAffa MAlan CHArt) derived from the name of the originator of the idea a South African scientist, Dr. Faffa Malan.
Considering the development of anthelmintic resistance, FAMCHA system is an alternative approaches to control the haemonchosis and also to save the anthelmintic usage as well as slow down the development of anthelmintic resistance against Haemonchus contortus. The FAMACHA system can be used to control haemonchosis throughout its endemic region where worm control is ineffective owing to prevalence of anthelmintic resistance.
Special mention should be made about the FAMACHA system (Faffa Malan Chart), which is a different approach for the diagnosis of haemonchosis. Specifically, the FAMACHA system correlates the degree of conjunctival paleness with the severity of anaemia. The severity of anaemia due to Haemonchus spp. infection is evaluated on a five-point scale, from 1 to 5. Score 1 corresponds to the normal red conjunctiva and Score 5 to a severely pale conjunctiva. This system has been shown to be extremely accurate for the diagnosis of haemonchosis in areas with tropical or subtropical climatic conditions, where small ruminant infection with Haemonchus dominated those by other parasitic genera.
One of the most promising approaches is to treat only the animals which really require attention in terms of worm management. “FAMACHA” method has facilitated quick identification of Haemonchus contortus infected sheep and goats without the aid of any laboratory procedures and delivers the treatment only to those who require it and also another economic strategy for control of H. contortus. This selective deworming strategy minimizes the use of drugs and thereby slowing down the development of drug-resistance. It may also aid in selective breeding decisions by identifying the animals that are most susceptible to H. contortus infection.
 
FAMACH Chart (Courtesy: Google Image) |
The visible signs of anaemia have been exploited as a simple and rapid diagnostic indicator through the development of the “ FAMACHA” system, which involves the assessment of the colour of the conjunctival mucous membranes . For this, first animals are restrained, and the lower eyelids are examined and scored against a standardized set of five colours ranging from red-pink (normal) to white (terminal anaemia). The goal of the “FAMACHA” system is to decrease and delay resistance by selective deworming the animals in the herd that are showing symptoms of parasite infection.
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