Control of tapeworms in sheep: a risk-based approach

Canine tapeworms that have sheep as their intermediate host can be responsible for unpredictable significant economic losses for individual farms. In addition, one of these dog-sheep tapeworms, Echinococcus granulosus, is zoonotic, causing cystic echinococcosis in humans, which can be fatal. Given that detection of tapeworm infestation is often only achieved at postmortem abattoir inspection, reactive control measures are limited. The aim of this article is to illustrate how the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, which is widely used in the food industry, can be used to identify proactive control measures. The role of the small animal veterinary surgeon in control is also discussed.