Introduction

Where is the NSW northeast and QLD Granite Belt region?

This region has summer-dominant rainfall and cold winters on and west of the Great Dividing Range. Its eastern border is the eastern fall of the Great Dividing Range—often this is the 1,000 mm p.a. isohyet. It covers the Northern Tablelands of NSW extending from Stanthorpe in Queensland to Mudgee in NSW, as well as the NSW hinterland west of the Great Dividing Range from Sydney to the Queensland border.

The southern edge starts from west of the Sydney hinterland and extends north-west through Mudgee and Gulgong to Gilgandra. It then goes west of Coonabarabran, through Narrabri and Texas, then south of Warwick and then along the New South Wales/Queensland border to the Great Dividing Range.

This corresponds with the WormKill (NSW DPI) and Wormbuster (QLD DAF) regions.

These boundaries are approximations only, as seasonal temperature and rainfall variations affect worms.

A map of the region is shown below.

What worms are covered in this program?

Roundworms

The most important roundworms in this region:

• Barber’s pole worm Haemonchus contortus
• Scour worms
  • Black scour worm Trichostrongylus colubriformis
  • Small brown stomach worm Teladorsagia (Ostertagia) circumcincta
  • Thin-necked intestinal worm Nematodirus spp. (only in young sheep)

Less important or only occasionally seen worms:

• Large bowel worm Oesophagostomum venulosum
• Small intestinal worm Cooperia species
• Black scour worm Trichostrongylus vitrinus

Liver fluke

Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) is an internal parasite that occurs throughout this region where there are colonies of the intermediate host snail (Austropeplea (Lymnaea) tomentosa). It can affect goats severely, sometimes causing deaths. The life cycle differs from the simple life cycle of roundworms, so control strategies are different. Liver fluke should be considered if there are cases of anaemia or bottle jaw in goats that are not associated with barber’s pole worm.

This program relates to roundworms. To control liver fluke, see Liver Fluke control in Appendices: Further information on goat worm control for NSW Northeast and QLD granite belt.

Other worms

Gastro-intestinal parasites of minor importance, such as stomach fluke and tapeworm, are not covered.