Seasonal variation of Oestrus ovis-specific antibodies in sheep and goats mixed flocks in Greece

The aim of this survey was to investigate the year-round epidemiological pa tterns of Oestrus ovis ELISA sere-prevalence in sheep and goats kept togeth er under the same husbandry system in an endemic area of Greece. Twenty-fiv e adult female sheep and 25 adult female goats, coming from a large mixed f lock, were randomly selected, eartaged and monthly blood sampled during 1 y ear period (November 1998-October 1999). Serological prevalence in sheep wa s 100% all around the year. Mean intensities of specific O. ovis antibodies follow a seasonal evolution with higher mean titers between March and July than in winter. In contrast, the serological prevalences in goats were low specially in winter months (from October to January). No significant diffe rence were noticed in goats antibody levels during the year period. The pos sible reasons of this difference of O. ovis sere-prevalence between sheep a nd goats are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B,V. All rights reserved.