ABSTRACT
A controlled trial of the efficacy of several anthelmintic compounds as a combined therapy in the treatment of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) and Fasciola hepatica (F. hepatica) in naturally infected cattle was carried out. Twenty crossbred calves, 8-18 months old, were selected for inclusion in the trial based on finding eggs of F. hepatica and GIN in the faeces. They were blocked in four groups of five animals each according to GIN fecal egg counts on day 0. Treatments were sequentially allocated to animals in each block as follows: Group 1 served as non-treated control; Group 2 was treated with netobimin orally at 20 mg/kg; Group 3 received triclabendazole orally at 12 mg/kg and levamisole was applied intramuscularly at 5.5 mg/kg; Group 4 received clorsulon administered subcutaneously (s.c.) at 2 mg/kg and ivermectin s.c. at 200 microg/kg. Six to eight days after treatment the animals were euthanatized in order to collect and identify the parasites. Results showed a reduction of GIN by 87.3, 95.8 and 99.5% in Groups 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The percentage reduction of immature flukes was 0.0, 72.5, and 67.5% and for adult flukes 91.0, 97.5 and 100% for Groups 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Compounds indicated against nematodes showed high efficacy and products directed against F. hepatica acceptably removed adult flukes. However, efficacy against immature stages was generally not satisfactory.
Subject(s)
Anthelmintics/therapeutic use , Cattle Diseases/drug therapy , Fascioliasis/veterinary , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/veterinary , Nematode Infections/veterinary , Animals , Anthelmintics/pharmacology , Benzimidazoles/pharmacology , Benzimidazoles/therapeutic use , Cattle , Drug Therapy, Combination , Fasciola hepatica/drug effects , Fasciola hepatica/isolation & purification , Fascioliasis/drug therapy , Guanidines/therapeutic use , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/drug therapy , Ivermectin/pharmacology , Ivermectin/therapeutic use , Levamisole/pharmacology , Levamisole/therapeutic use , Nematode Infections/drug therapy , Parasite Egg Count/veterinary , Treatment Outcome , TriclabendazoleABSTRACT
Anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin against Mecistocirrus digitatus was evaluated in 10 naturally infected zebu calves. Group 1 (n = 5) was not treated, and group 2 (n = 5) was treated SC with 200 micrograms of ivermectin/kg of body weight. Calves were euthanatized 14 or 15 days after treatment. There was 100% overall reduction of M digitatus in treated calves, which was significant (P = 0.0079) compared with reduction in controls. Cooperia punctata, Haemonchus similis, and Trichostrongylus axei were found in controls. Efficacy against these parasites in treated calves was 100%.
