- Haemonchus contortus
"Haemonchus contortus", also known as red stomach worm, wire worm or Barber's pole worm, is very common parasite and one the most pathogenic
nematode ofruminant s. Adult worms are attached to abomasal mucosa and feed on the blood.Females may lay over 5,000 eggs a day, which are secreted from the animal via the
faeces . After hatching from their eggs, "H. contortus"larvae molt several times, resulting in an L3 form that isinfectious for the animals. They can take up these larvae when eating grass leaves. The L4 larvae, formed after another molt, suck blood in the abomasum of the animal, potentially giving rise toanaemia andoedema , which eventually can lead to death. [cite web | title = "Haemonchus", "Ostertagia", and "Trichostrongylus" spp | work = The Merck Veterinary Manual | date = 2006 | url = http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/22413.htm | accessdate = 2007-07-01 ]The infection, called Haemonchosis, causes large economic losses for
farmers around the world, especially for those living in the warmerclimates .Antihelminthics are used to combat these, and other, worm infections for a long time, but resistance of theparasites against thesechemicals is growing.References
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