Field evaluation of doramectin for treatment of gastrointestinal nematode infections and louse infestations of cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of doramectin given by injection at a dosage of 200 micrograms/kg of body weight for treatment of gastrointestinal nematodiasis or louse infestations of cattle. ANIMALS: 1,031 mixed-breed cattle were treated in the nematode study and 418 were treated in the louse study. PROCEDURE: Naturally parasitized cattle were given 200 micrograms of doramectin/kg or an equivalent volume of saline solution, SC. In nematode experiments, fecal samples were collected from each animal 1 week before treatment, at time of treatment, and at weekly intervals there after for 3 weeks. In louse experiments, louse counts were carried out for each animal on the day of treatment and 14 and 28 days later. All cattle were weighted at the time of treatment and at the end of the experiment. RESULTS: By 21 days after doramectin treatment, fecal egg counts had decreased to zero in 9 of 10 experiments and to 1 egg/g in the remaining experiment. Differences between treatment groups were significant (P < 0.0001) in all instances. Pretreatment coproculture identified Haemonchus, Ostertagia, Cooperia, Trichostrongylus, and Nematrodirus as the represented genera. Doramectin was 100% effective in eliminating infestation with Linogna thus vituli, Haematopinus eurysternus, and Solenopotes capillatus. Infestation with the chewing louse Damalinia bovis was reduced overall by 86%. For all species, post treatment louse counts were significantly (P < 0.02) less for doramectin-treated cattle than for controls. Adverse reactions to doramectin were not apparent in either study. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Injectable doramectin at a dosage of 200 micrograms/kg is safe and effective for treatment of gastrointestinal nematodiasis and louse infestations of cattle under field conditions.

Doramectin systemic activity against cattle grubs, Hypoderma lineatum and H. bovis (Diptera: Oestridae), and cattle lice, bovicola bovis (Mallophaga: Trichodectidae), Linognathus vituli and Solenopotes capillatus (Anoplura: Linognathidae), and Haematopinus eurysternus (Anoplura: Haematopinidae), in Wyoming.

Seven individual trials were conducted in Wyoming to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of doramectin administered subcutaneously at a dosage of 200 micrograms kg-1 against multiple, natural infestations of cattle grubs or cattle lice. Insect species present and the number of trials that included each species were: Hypoderma lineatum, 2; Hypoderma bovis. 1; Bovicola bovis, 5; Haematopinus eurysternus, 1; Linognathus vituli, 5; and Solenopotes capillatus, 3. Examinations for lice were performed prior to treatment and either weekly or bi-weekly thereafter for 28 days. Examinations for cattle warbles were performed either weekly or every 4 to 5 weeks from time of first appearance through last appearance in the backs of the cattle. No H. lineatum, H. bovis, H. eurysternus, L. vituli, or S. capillatus were found on doramectin-treated animals at any time following treatment. By 28 days following treatment, the number of B. bovis was reduced between 58 and 98%. Treatments applied later in the season, i.e. in March, were more efficacious against B. bovis than those applied in January or February.

Efficacy of doramectin against eyeworms (Thelazia spp.) in naturally and experimentally infected cattle.

The anthelmintic efficacy of doramectin was assessed for the control of Thelazia spp. in two studies using 44 naturally or experimentally infected calves. Cattle were randomly assigned based on weight to either a doramectin treatment group or a saline control group. Treated animals received doramectin at a dosage of 200 micrograms kg-1, subcutaneously in the lateral midline of the neck. Control animals received an equivalent dosage of 0.9% sterile saline. Animals were slaughtered 13-16 days after treatment and all eyes and associated tissues (including the lacrymal glands and ducts) were removed and examined for total number, species and viability of eyeworms. Two species of eyeworms, Thelazia skrjabini and Thelazia gulosa were found in the control group of naturally infected calves. Only T. skrjabini was found in the control group of experimentally infected calves. No eyeworms were found in any doramectin-treated animal. The efficacy of doramectin against Thelazia spp. in both naturally and experimentally infected calves was 100%.

Spectrum of activity of doramectin against cattle mites and lice.

A series of 16 studies was conducted involving 288 cattle with naturally acquired or experimentally induced mite or louse infestations to evaluate the efficacy of doramectin. Four studies were conducted against the mite species Psoroptes bovis and two against the mite species Sarcoptes scabiei. Ten studies involved cattle with one or more of the following louse species: Damalinia bovis, Haematopinus eurysternus, Linognathus vituli and Solenopotes capillatus. In each study, a group of at least nine but not more than 25 cattle were randomly allocated to a control or a treated group. One group was treated with doramectin at 200 micrograms kg-1 and the other group received no medication. Mites or lice were quantified by species immediately before treatment and at weekly intervals for 4 weeks thereafter. Doramectin was 100% efficacious against infestations of P. bovis, Sarcoptes scabiei, H. eurysternus, L. vituli and Solenopotes capillatus. The drug reduced infestations of D. bovis by a mean of 82%.