EVALUATION OF IRON SUPPLEMENTATION IN LAMBS ARTIFICIALLY INFECTED by Haemonchus contortus.

• Grant number: 25/06151-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: César Cristiano Bassetto
• Grantee: Gustavo Gabriel de Oliveira Trevise
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of iron supplementation and the capacity of the erythrocyte response in lambs naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus. Twenty-two animals will be divided into two groups and will remain on pasture throughout the experiment. The animals' diet will be the same for both groups, consisting of commercial concentrate, provided at 1.5% of live weight, and Urochloa decumbens (ad libitum). After an initial period of adaptation of the animals to the new diet, anthelmintic treatments will be performed for 3 consecutive days, common to all lambs. In the supplemented group, anthelmintics will be associated with the application of ferric hydroxide at 2.5 ml for every 10 kg of live weight, done in a single dose. Every seven days, the animals will be weighed individually. At the same time, fecal samples will be collected to perform egg counts per gram of feces and stool cultures. Blood samples will also be collected for hematological and biochemical analyses, erythrocyte counts and blood hemoglobin measurements. The experimental period will be 28 days. Variables with repeated measures will be analyzed using the generalized linear procedure (PROC GLM) of the Statistical Analysis System. The means will be compared by the Tukey test at a significance level of 5%.