02042naa a2200301 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400430007410000210011724501070013826000090024552011290025465000300138365000200141365000230143365000100145665000220146665000110148865300400149965300200153965300280155965300200158770000230160770000210163070000200165177300690167120512542016-08-22       2016    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0921-44887 a10.1016/j.smallrumres.2016.03.0062DOI1 aBENAVIDES, M. V.  aIs it feasible to select humid sub-tropical Merino sheep for faecal egg counts?h[electronic resource]  c2016  aGenetic parameter estimates for faecal egg counts (FEC), weaning and shearing weights and wool traits were evaluated in 720 Australian Merino lambs raised in Southern Brazil. Weaned lambs were naturally exposed to nematode larvae-contaminated pastures with the objective of recording individual gastrointestinal parasite infection responses. Phenotypic and genetic correlations among production traits such as birth, weaning and shearing weights and wool production traits (greasy and clean fleece weights, scouring yield, mean fibre diameter, and staple length) were estimated. Results showed a high variability for FEC counts among individuals, with a heritability estimate of 0.365 ± 0.001, and low phenotypic and genetic correlations between FEC and all productive traits, except for a negative shearing live weight (rG = −0.305 ± 0.002 and rP = −0.140 ± 0.001). These results indicate that selection for low FEC would ensure genetic progress in reducing gastrointestinal parasite infection levels without limiting major sheep production traits for Merino sheep raised in a humid sub-tropical environment.  aDigestive system diseases  aFecal egg count  aGenetic covariance  aSheep  aTropical pastures  aOvelha  aGastrointestinal parasite infection  aHost resistance  aSheep production traits  aSheep selection1 aSOUZA, C. J. H. de1 aMORAES, J. C. F.1 aBERNE, M. E. A.  tSmall Ruminant Research, Amsterdamgv. 137, p. 73-80, Apr. 2016.