Assessing the effectiveness of prophylactic treatment strategies for sheep scab

Ovine psoroptic mange (sheep scab) is a condition caused by a hypersensitivity response to the ectoparasitic mite, Psoroptes ovis. It is an animal welfare concern and causes extensive economic losses to the sheep industry worldwide. More effective scab management is required to limit increases in infection prevalence, particularly given growing concerns over acaricide resistance. Here, a stochastic metapopulation model is used to explore the effectiveness of a range of prophylactic acaricide treatment strategies in comparison to no intervention. Over a simulated one-year period, movement control, based on the prophylactic treatment of animals being moved in sales, followed by farm biosecurity of bought in animals, was shown to be the most effective at reducing scab risk and more cost-effective than no intervention. Localised targeting of prophylaxis in areas of high scab prevalence was more effective than using prophylaxis at random, however, this localised effect declined post-treatment because of the import of infected animals. The analysis highlights the role of the movement of infected animals in maintaining high levels of scab infection and the importance of reducing this route of transmission to allow localised management to be effective. •Sheep scab interventions were assessed using a mathematical model.•Treating all sheep prior to movement was the most effective national strategy.•Targeting prophylaxis in hotspots initially reduced scab risk more than random prophylaxis.•The efficacy of focussed treatment waned as infected sheep were introduced.•Control of the movement of infected sheep is shown to be essential.