{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:20:28Z","timestamp":1760145628546,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760054400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CIISA\/FMV Project","award":["UIDB\/00276\/2020","LA\/P\/0059\/2020\u2014AL4AnimalS"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00276\/2020","LA\/P\/0059\/2020\u2014AL4AnimalS"]}]},{"name":"hD Research Fellowship","award":["UI\/BD\/152818\/2022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UI\/BD\/152818\/2022"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cattle are commonly affected by gastrointestinal (GI) parasites, which impact their welfare and productivity. Alternative management practices are currently being applied in several livestock farms worldwide to minimise or avoid the use of anthelmintic drugs on livestock in an unsustainable way. This study aimed to compare the presence of GI parasites between conventional and holistic management farms in Alentejo, Portugal. Between January and April 2024, a total of 95 faecal samples were collected from adult female beef cattle belonging to four conventional management farms and four holistic management farms. Parasitological diagnosis included the Mini-FLOTAC method, Willis flotation, natural sedimentation, modified Ziehl\u2013Neelsen technique, and faecal cultures. Higher egg shedding levels were found at holistic management farms, and strongyles were the most frequent GI parasites (92.6%). In addition, Oesophagostomum spp. (37%) and Trichostrongylus spp. (32%) were the most frequent genera, although no significant differences were found between the two management systems. Moreover, animals from both groups presented low shedding values (&lt;200 eggs per gram of faeces, EPG). These preliminary results allow us to suggest that adopting holistic management practices may be a sustainable solution for the control of GI parasite infections in cattle farms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci12100970","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T14:50:16Z","timestamp":1760107816000},"page":"970","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Gastrointestinal Parasite Infections in Beef Cattle: A Comparative Study Between Conventional and Holistic Farms in Alentejo, Portugal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"C\u00e1tia","family":"Gomes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5390-6998","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Lozano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5668-745X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariana","family":"Louro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio de Parasitologia, Instituto Nacional de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o Agr\u00e1ria e Veterin\u00e1ria, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal"}]},{"given":"L\u00eddia","family":"Gomes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Lu\u00eds","family":"Castro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vetagromor Lda, Rua Sofia de Mello Breyner, 13C, 7050-165 Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Leonor","family":"Duarte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vetagromor Lda, Rua Sofia de Mello Breyner, 13C, 7050-165 Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Feliciano do Carmo","family":"Reis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vetagromor Lda, Rua Sofia de Mello Breyner, 13C, 7050-165 Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7548-667X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00eds","family":"Madeira de Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106042","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tvjl.2023.106042","article-title":"The future of farm animal parasitology","volume":"300\u2013302","author":"Forbes","year":"2023","journal-title":"Vet. 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