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Extruded urea levels in lamb supplementation in rainy tropical savanna conditions: the triad host-gastrointestinal nematodes-environment

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of increasing levels of extruded urea (EU, Amireia®) in the diet of lambs naturally infected by gastrointestinal nematodes on the interactions in the host-pasture-soil components in edaphoclimatic conditions of the tropical rainy savanna. A total of 60 Texel lambs with a mean initial weight of 20.7 ± 0.87 and mean age of 2.5 ± 0.70 months were distributed in a completely randomized design, in five treatments consisting of different levels of EU supplementation viz., 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 g 100 kg−1 live weight (LW). The performance of lambs, parasitological variables, gastrointestinal nematodes (NGIs), and larvae recovery in pasture and soil were evaluated. The highest animal performance was observed in animals that received 0 to 18 g kg−1 LW (146.0 g day−1) and the lowest in animals supplemented with 24 g kg−1 LW (81.0 g day−1) of EU. The body condition score (BCS) was similar in the animals (P > 0.05). Parasitic infection did not differ as a function of EU level (P > 0.05). Eggs of Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Cooperia spp., and Oesophagostomum spp. were found. The largest amount of larvae in the L1/L2 and L3 stages was recovered in the pastures occupied by the animals that received supplementation 0 g kg−1 LW of EU (750 larvae), the smallest in those that the animals received 6 g 100 kg−1 LW of EU (54 larvae). The presence of larvae in the L1/L2 stages changed significantly (P < 0.05) in the soil; in the other stages, it did not differ in the soil. Increasing levels of extruded urea do not influence the eggs per gram of feces (EPG) count. The 0 to 18 g 100 kg−1 LW level maintains animal performance, BCS and FAMACHA©. There is less dispersal of NGI larvae in pasture and soil when EU levels increase in the edaphoclimatic conditions of the rainy tropical savannah, which suggests that this supplement can be implemented in the diet of beef lambs, in addition to to be a lower cost nitrogen source.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the originality of the research, but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

 We are grateful to the Federal University of Paraíba and the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, through their Post Graduate Programs in Animal Science. This work was carried out with the support of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel – Brazil (CAPES) – Financing Code 001, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development—(CNPq) and the Foundation for the Support of the Development of Teaching, Science and Technology of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT).

Funding

This work was supported by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—(CAPES)—Financing Code 001, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development—(CNPq), and the Foundation for the Support of the Development of Teaching, Science and Technology of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil

    Francisca Fernanda da Silva Roberto & Roberto Germano Costa

  2. Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Gelson dos Santos Difante, Luis Carlos Vinhas Ítavo, Camila Celeste Brandão Ferreira Ítavo, Jéssica Gomes Rodrigues, Marislayne de Gusmão Pereira, Gabriela Oliveira de Aquino Monteiro, Emmanuel Lievio de Lima Véras & Carolina Marques Costa Araujo

  3. Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Fernando de Almeida Borges

  4. Department of the National Semi-Arid Institute, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil

    Neila Lidiany Ribeiro

  5. Campus Professor Cinobelina Elvas, Federal University of Piauí, Bom Jesus, Piauí, Brazil

    Antonio Leandro Chaves Gurgel

  6. Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Vale São Francisco, Petrolina, Recife, Brazil

    Ana Beatriz Graciano da Costa

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  1. Francisca Fernanda da Silva Roberto
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Francisca Fernanda da Silva Roberto: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Roles/Writing—original draft; Writing—review & editing., Gelson dos Santos Difante: Conceptualization; Funding acquisition; Project administration; Resources; Supervision and Validation; Roberto Germano Costa: Conceptualization; Data curation; Methodology; Roles/Writing—original draft; Fernando de Almeida Borges: Conceptualization; Data curation; Methodology; Roles/Writing—original draft;, Luis Carlos Vinhas Ítavo: Conceptualization; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Camila Celeste Brandão Ferreira Ítavo: Conceptualization; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Neila Lidiany Ribeiro: Investigation; Methodology; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Jéssica Gomes Rodrigues: Investigation; Methodology; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Marislayne de Gusmão Pereira: Investigation; Methodology; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Gabriela Oliveira de Aquino Monteiro: Investigation; Methodology; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Emmanuel Lievio de Lima Véras: Investigation; Methodology; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft, Antonio Leandro Chaves Gurgel: Data curation; Formal analysis; Software; Roles/Writing—original draft; Carolina Marques Costa Araujo: Writing—review & editing and Validation, Ana Beatriz Graciano da Costa: Data curation and Investigation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Carolina Marques Costa Araujo.

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The study was approved and conducted in accordance with the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals—CEUA of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), under protocol No. 0862/2017.

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The study was approved and conducted in accordance with the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals—CEUA of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), under protocol No. 0862/2017.

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da Silva Roberto, F.F., dos Santos Difante, G., Costa, R.G. et al. Extruded urea levels in lamb supplementation in rainy tropical savanna conditions: the triad host-gastrointestinal nematodes-environment. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 193 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03607-2

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