FAMACHA

Why Worry About Parasites?

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites such as the barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus), are a serious problem affecting small ruminant production throughout the Northeast region and world. These parasites cause poor growth, anemia, and death in severe infections and limit the ability of producers to raise sheep and goats on pasture. 

Growing and widespread resistance to chemical dewormers, coupled with producer wishes to reduce or eliminate reliance on these drugs, has created a need for alternative and integrated parasite control practices.

Our Program

URI Cooperative Extension and the Dept. of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences collaborate with farmers and other partners from New England and the Northeast region to provide research and education on integrated parasite control management. This includes practices such as selective deworming and smart drug use, along with alternative controls including a variety of pasture management practices that reduce parasite exposure.

Online FAMACHA© Certification

FAMACHA© Programa de Entrenamiento
 
The FAMACHA© System, a method for estimating the level of anemia in sheep and goats affected by barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) infection, is a crucial tool for selective deworming. The American Consortium introduced the FAMACHA© card, developed in South Africa, to the U.S. for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC).

AMERICAN CONSORTIUM FOR SMALL ANIMAL PARASITE CONTROL

This online training program was developed by Dr. Katherine Petersson and Dr. Anne Zajac, DVM, members of the ACSRPC, as part of a Northeast SARE grant and is administered by the University of Rhode Island.  The ACSRPC fully endorses the program for those who are unable to attend a workshop. 

Projects

Building on success: Expanding opportunities for sustainable management of small ruminant gastrointestinal parasites

USDA Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (LNE19-381)
 
This project builds upon former NE SARE Projects,
LNE15-342 and LNE10-300  to address gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection in sheep and goats in the Northeast.

This project will continue a successful Online FAMACHA© Certification program with updated and condensed informational videos, and a Spanish language version.  A group facilitated class format is also available to further assist under-served audiences.  Workshops with a focus on selective breeding through the use of estimated breeding values (EBV) for parasite resistance and the benefits of enrolling in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) will continue along with project-supported fecal egg count analysis.  A new NSIP FAMACHA© EBV and pasture-based, multi-trait selection index that includes GIN resistance and other economically important traits will also be developed and utilized.  Research will expand and continue to evaluate the anti-parasitic effects of cranberry vine (CV) on GIN infection in ewes during late gestation through early lactation.

Project partners include University of Rhode Island, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, Penn State University, Cornell University, the National Sheep Improvement Program, and the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USDA ARS).  Learn more about this NE SARE project.

Overcoming barriers to transitioning small ruminants to organic production:  Effects of feeding birdsfoot trefoil on parasite control, nutritional status & profitability

USDA NIFA Organic Transitions Program

This project builds on a recent USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) Project, “Forage-Based Parasite Control in Sheep and Goats in the Northeast U.S.” That project (August 2012-2017) joined several land grant university researchers, educators, and farmers together to research, demonstrate and evaluate the potential of Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) to suppress GIN parasites in the Northeast.  That project demonstrated that the benefits of grazing Birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) were significant and justified additional research.

Learn more about this new Organic Transitions Program project.

Photo courtesy of Conor McCabe, Cornell University, July 2015.

Online FAMACHA Certification

To access the online training program in Spanish please follow this link: https://web.uri.edu/sheepngoat/famacha-programa-de-entrenamiento/

The FAMACHA© System –The use of the FAMACHA© system allows small ruminant producers to make selective deworming decisions based on an estimated level of anemia in sheep and goats affected by barber pole worm infection. The barber pole worm is the most economically important parasite affecting small ruminant production on pasture, causing varying levels of anemia (reduction below normal in the number of red cells in the blood) and in severe cases death. Worldwide anthelmintic (anti-parasitic) resistance has been reported in all current dewormers available to treat the barber pole worm and other gastrointestinal nematodes. The FAMACHA© system aids in selective deworming, minimizing the use of dewormers and slowing the rate of drug-resistant parasite population development. The FAMACHA© system also aids in selective breeding decisions by identifying those animals that are most susceptible to barber pole worm infection.

The FAMACHA© card, developed in South Africa, was introduced to the U.S. by the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC) at www.wormx.info. The FAMACHA© card is a tool that matches the color of the eye mucous membranes of small ruminants with a laminated color chart showing five color categories corresponding to different levels of anemia. Category 1, red, representing an animal that is not anemic with category 5, pale white, representing a severely anemic animal. The FAMACHA© system uses the numeric scores determined with the card to identify and selectively deworm sheep and goats with anemia.

This online training program was developed by Anne Zajac, DVM (VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech) and Katherine Petersson, PhD (University of Rhode Island) and, members of the ACSRPC, as part of a Northeast SARE grant. The online program is currently co-administered by the University of Rhode Island (Katherine Petersson) and Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine (Adriano Vatta, BVSc, MSc, PhD, DACVM (Parasitology)). The ACSRPC fully endorses the program. 

Requirements

Participants must be 13 years of age or older and reside in the U.S or Canada.

Facilitated group classes may be available at your institution or school.  We ask that group facilitators contact us at least one month prior to offering the class.

This Online FAMACHA© Certification program is available to participants residing in the U.S. or Canada and can be obtained through a 3-step process. 

Complete Follow-up Assessment

After viewing the training videos, take the follow-up assessment by clicking here. You may take the assessment as many times as necessary to complete the assessment with a score of 80% or higher. If you are part of a group such as 4H, FFA, Pre Veterinary Club etc. please be sure to include your group affiliation when completing the online assessment form.

Create and submit FAMACHA demonstration video

View the FAMACHA© technique training video below for demonstrating the FAMACHA© technique. Make and send us a video demonstrating the FAMACHA© technique on both eyes of two animals. For this demonstration video please use an index card in place of an actual FAMACHA© card.  Introduce yourself and demonstrate the FAMACHA© technique on both eyes of two animals, holding up the mock FAMACHA© card to the eye mucous membrane. It is ok to have assistance, recording, restraining and holding the mock FAMACHA© card. Email the video to urisheepandgoat@etal.uri.edu. If your video is too large to send, please email us and we will help set up a temporary google share folder.

Upon completing the 3-step online training program listed above, the participant will receive a Certificate of Competence in the use of the FAMACHA© anemia scoring system. The certificate will enable participants to purchase a FAMACHA© card through Louisiana State University.  The price of the FAMACHA© card is subject to change but is under $20.00.  Exact cost and instructions for purchasing a card will be provided upon completion of this online training program.

Contact for online FAMACHA certification

Elisa Preston, MS, Research Associate

Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine

3315 Skip Bertman Drive

Baton Rouge, LA, 70803

famacha@lsu.edu 

For more information about the FAMACHA© System and small ruminant parasite control, visit the American Consortium of Small Ruminant Parasite Control.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture supports this work (NIFA) Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Project LNE19-381 and USDA NIFA Animal Health and Disease Research Project 1007290.  URI provides equal program opportunity.