1. History and Summary of FAMACHA© Program in the United States Bob Storey, MS, RVT, Julie Vargas, BS, Ray M. Kaplan, DVM, Ph.D University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases Athens, GA , USA
Abstract
FAMACHA© - the innovative technique for managing and treating Haemonchus contortus in sheep and goats developed by Dr. Francois “Faffa” Malan in South Africa was brought to the United States in 2003 by the Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (SCSRPC). Dr. Malan’s FAMACHA© system accurately correlates the color of the conjunctiva to the Haemonchus contortus worm burden in sheep and goats, allowing the farmer to determine which animals need anthelmintic treatment, and thus allow treating of the individual as opposed to blanket treating the entire herd.
FAMACHA© was first introduced into the United States in 2002 by Dr. Adriano Vatta (Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, South Africa) when he trained members of the SCSRPC in the FAMACHA© method. Dr. Ray M. Kaplan and Dr. James E. Miller then modified the FAMACHA© System information guide for use by the American small ruminant farmer and introduced the system in the United States at a workshop in June of The American goat and sheep communities were very receptive to the FAMACHA© concept and this has resulted in a continually growing demand for FAMACHA© workshops and FAMACHA© eye charts. The increased prevalence of anthelmintic resistant isolates of H. contortus, coupled with changes in weather patterns resulting in outbreaks of haemonchosis in areas of the United States not ordinarily accustomed to having problems with H. contortus, also has contributed to interest and demand for FAMACHA© charts and workshops.
The number of sheep and goat farmers trained, and the subsequent distribution of FAMACHA© charts has climbed steadily since FAMACHA’s© introduction in 2003, with 2007 showing a significant jump in interest and use of the FAMACHA© System by both veterinarians and farmers. From 7 workshops distributing a total of 188 cards in 2003, FAMACHA in the United States has grown to include 421 trainers in 41 states and US territories. A total of 12,018 cards have been distributed in the US since its introduction in 2003, with 4775 being distributed in 2007 alone.
Workshops
The FAMACHA© Workshop has proven to be an efficient means of educating the veterinarian/extension agent/farmer/producer on the use of the FAMACHA © system and the concept of “Smart Drenching”
The typical workshop is broken up into two sections.
Section one, the instructional or lecture phase covers:
Gastrointestinal nematode life cycles
The major classes of anthelmintics
The concept and basic biology of anthelmintic resistance
Where resistance comes from
The farm practices that encourage resistance
How to drench properly
Creative drenching strategies
Pasture management techniques
The FAMACHA © Technique
What it all means
The second section is the hands on portion.
Each participant scores and records the value of approximately 20 animals.
The participants scores are checked against previously recorded scores (scored by at least 2 experts)
Participants successfully completing both portions of the workshop receive a certificate and a FAMACHA© eye chart, as well as a copy of FAMACHA© Users Guide and other relevant documents.
FAMACHA© Cards issued in 2003
FAMACHA© Cards issued in 2004
FAMACHA© Cards issued in 2005
FAMACHA© Cards issued in 2007
Conclusions
FAMACHA© is currently the most valuable tool that the farmer/producer has at his/her disposal to monitor individual animal anemia status and as such Haemonchus contortus worm burden
FAMACHA© is elegantly simple and in trained hands is an effective and consistent method for target drenching only those animals that need treatment, thus maintaining adequate refugia to slow down the advancement of anthelmintic resistance
FAMACHA© has shown steady growth in the United States since its introduction by the SCSRPC in 2003.
The SCSRPC is in the process of finalizing a standardized training program for training FAMACHA© trainers and for training producers thereby helping to insure consistency and quality in the program
The SCSRPC with funding from USDA-SARE is conducting a survey of FAMACHA use by producers to try to quantify the impact on the sheep and goat industry where the FAMACHA © and Smart Drenching concepts are employed
A total of 12,018 FAMACHA© eye charts have been distributed since July of 2003
More than 575 FAMACHA© workshops have been held
We now have 421 registered trainers in 41 states and territories
The chart layout was changed to the smaller, more convenient size in the fall of 2005
2007 set a record for workshops and card distribution in the US that is expected to be eclipsed in 2008
Origins: The Faffa Malan Story
Dr. Francois “Faffa” Malan, worked in the Freestate province of South Africa in the 1970s as a veterinarian and dealt with Haemonchus related deaths of sheep on a daily basis. He had long sought a method of identifying sheep that needed treatment for haemonchosis.
Dr. Malan went to work for Hoescht, in their research unit in He was involved in a large drug trial on the farm Vygeboom of Cliff Wessels in the Badplaas district of Transvaal. He decided to treat only those animals that showed obvious signs of haemonchosis (bottle jaw and pale mucus membranes). To his surprise, only 20% of the animals needed treatment – all of them exhibiting pale conjunctiva. The FAMACHA idea was born.
He began testing hematocrit vs conjunctiva color and found correlation. Teaming up with Dr. Jan van Wyk, and later Dr. Gareth Bath, several trials and studies were conducted and FAMACHA © was launched.
FAMACHA© Cards issued in 2007
FAMACHA© cards issued vs. workshops held each year
Background
The Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (SCSRPC) was formed in response to the critical state of the small ruminant industry in the southern United States associated with the emergence of anthelmintic resistant worms
The mission of the SCSRPC is to develop and validate novel methods for sustainable control of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants and to educate stakeholders in the small ruminant industry on methods and recommendations for gastrointestinal nematode control
Following initial training by Dr. Vatta, the founding members of the SCSRPC embarked upon a large study to validate the FAMACHA© eye color chart for use in sheep and goats in the United States. The study involved 847 sheep and 537 goats from 39 farms located in the US. (Kaplan, et al, 2004)
Drs. Kaplan and Williams held the first workshop to inform and train fellow veterinarians, researchers, agricultural extension agents, and farmers in July of 2003, spawning 6 other FAMACHA© workshops in 2003, and the issuance of 188 FAMACHA© eye charts
The number of workshops held, producers trained, and cards sold has increased each year
Since 2003, Dr. Ray Kaplan has served as the Director of the US FAMACHA© distribution program under the auspices of the SCSRPC
In 2007, Mr. Bob Storey took over as Manager of the US FAMACHA© distribution program
FAMACHA® EYE CHART
(actual size)
References
Kaplan, R.M., Burke, J.M., Terrill, T.H., Miller, J.E., Getz, W.R., Mobini, S., Valencia, E., Williams, M.J., Williamson, L.H., Larsen, M., Vatta, A.F Validation of the FAMACHA© eye color chart for detecting clinical anemia in sheep and goats on farms in the southern United States, Veterinary Parasitology,
Malan, F.S., Van Wyk, J.A. and Wessels, C.D., 2001, “Clinical evaluation of anaemia in sheep: early trials”, Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 68:
“Faffa” Malan, Gareth Bath, and Jan van Wyk (personal communication)
FAMACHA© eye charts can be purchased outside the United States by contacting Professor Gareth Bath
Tel: +27 (012) ; Fax: +27 (012) ;
Original FAMACHA® EYE CHART
(actual size)
FAMACHA® EYE CHART in Use