SOURCES OF HELMINTH INFESTATION OF AMONG LIVESTOCK IN THE NORTHEASTERN SLOPES OF THE LESSER CAUCASUS, SOUTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN SLOPES OF THE GREATER CAUCASUS

Abstract

In the modern world, providing people with ecologically clean food products, including meat and dairy products, is an urgent issue. In the studied northeastern slopes of the Lesser Caucasus and southern and northeastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus there are favorable physical and geographical conditions for the development of animal husbandry. In recent years, the increasing impact of human economic activity has had a negative impact on the degradation of large natural landscapes and biogeocomplexes. Because of this, the ecological structure of many populations is changing and there is a real threat of destruction of certain hierarchical groups of animals. Infestation of livestock with various helminthic pathogens causes quality of milk products, live weight of animals, reduction of wool quality, weakening of fertility, delayed growth and development, low nutritional value of meat, etc. causing productivity losses, including mortality among animals. Infection of livestock with helminthic pathogens is associated with environmental conditions and anthropogenic factors. In this regard, it is necessary to study the peculiarities of distribution of helminthic pathogens common among sheep in the region by landscape-ecological zones, infection rates, population dynamics of the main and intermediate hosts, parasite-host relations in mixed invasions, population structure of helminths in the external environment and in the host organism.