An experiment was carried out at the National Dairy Cattle Research Center, of EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Organization), in Coronel Pacheco, Zona da Mata Region of Minas Gerais State. To estimate the rate of inactivity of gastro-intestinal worm eggs submitted to anaerobic conditions on a biodigester (Indian model), fecal samples were contained in metallic cylinders with 22m openings and submerged in the anaerobic digester for 7. 14. 21. 28 and 56 days. The number of larvae extracted from culture of the feces after digester passage was compared with cultures mantained in optimal conditions. Levels of inactivation of eggs were greater than 80% only in samples retained for more than 30 days in the biodigester. Effluents of anaerobic digester are potential contaminators of gastro-intestinal worm eggs to crops and fodders, specially in mesophilic digesters, with small chambers, in which the retention period is less than 30 days.
caule; nematode; biodigester; survival
