Dogs detect helminths in sheep

Australian shepherd dogs have been trained to sniff out the worms. This dog's skill will also be used to create a portable "sniffing" machine to detect roundworms living in sheep's stomach.

(Photo: bbc)

The initiative on how to detect this parasite via smell will have the potential to save Australia's sheep industry millions of dollars each year, scientists at La Trobe University said.

The parasites that live in sheep's body are a constant headache for Australian shepherds. They can affect the development of hair and lamb, making animals sick and vulnerable. Sheep can even die.

Anti-parasitic drugs have been a useful measure for many years, but now microorganisms have become resistant. So researchers have to look for another method.

"The fact that dogs can smell the parasite indicates that some parasites that live in the intestines can be identified by smell," said lead researcher Mark Sandeman.

In fact, Seb shepherd dog was trained to detect sheep feces containing parasites with an accuracy of 80-90%. However, it was still too early to say exactly which chemicals Seb had sniffed out.

Based on this finding, the researchers plan to develop a handheld sniffing device. They believe that the product will be released within the next 5 years."We were thinking of using a dog out of the farm, but that would have many disadvantages. So we thought it would be better to have a small device that every farmer could use , " Sandeman said.

MT