What is spore counting?
There are two types of spore counting: pasture and faecal. Both give an indication of spores present. Currently the most widely used method of counting spore is called the wash method. It involves taking a sample of pasture leaves from about 1 cm above the ground. The spores are washed off the leaves by shaking in water, and then the spores are counted under a microscope. The downfall of this method is that the spores are only an indirect measurement of toxins in pasture. This is because the toxins and the spores are not destroyed at the same rate. The spores will only cause Facial Eczema depending on the time the spore numbers remain high, the length that the sward is grazed to, or the damage already caused to the liver by previous doses of toxin. Faecal spore counting involves counting the spores that have actually passed through the animal. This gives a more accurate assessment of actual spore intake by the stock.
