Comparative efficacy of seven brands of albendazole against naturally acquired gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep in Hawassa, southern Ethiopia (original) (raw)
Anthelmintic utilization data were collected with a semi-structured questionnaire. An efficacy trial was conducted on 28 naturally infected sheep. The animals were randomly allocated into seven groups (four in each). Groups were treated with albendazole, ivermectin, tetramisole, levamisole, albendazole, ivermectin plus albendazole, albendazole plus levamisole, and a no-treatment control group. The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was used to evaluate the efficacy of anthelmintics and identification of parasites was done by the faecal culture examination method. Data from the survey showed that different anthelmintics were used and some improper utilization was also recorded. Livestock owners had a tendency to deworm their animals throughout the year, but most commonly at the beginning of the rainy season. The highest FECRT (100%) was observed in animals receiving combined therapy, followed by albendazole (99.08%), ivermectin (96.69%), levamisole (90.06%) and the lowest reduction percentage was observed in the tetramisole group (89.51%). Parasite species surviving treatment were: albendazole, Trichuris; ivermectin, Trichuris and Haemonchus; levamisole and tetramisole, Trichuris, Haemonchus and Oesophagostomum. In summary, the different anthelmintics used in the study area did not have equal efficacy. Therefore, proper utilization and selection of anthelmintics are necessary for effective control of these parasites in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Veterinary Journal, 2011
The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of albendazole, tetramisole and ivermectin against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep owned by smallholder farmers. Eighty three sheep were selected for the study and divided into four groups: the first group was treated with Albendazole, the second group treated with Tetramisole, the third group with Ivermectin and the fourth group untreated to serve as control. Faecal sample were collected on day zero before treatment, and again on day 10 post treatment. The efficacy for each anthelmintic was measured using the faecal egg count reduction test. The arithmetic faecal egg count reduction for albendazole, tetramisole and ivermectin were 99.34%, 97.77%, and 98.30% respectively. Therefore, the current finding suggests that there is a good state of efficacy for all tested anthelmintics against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.
Irish Veterinary Journal
Background: Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections are the main impediments that restrict the welfare and productivity of small ruminant in the world. Effective management of GINs in grazing sheep relies heavily on the use of highly efficacious anthelmintic drugs. However, anthelmintic resistance is becoming a significant concern in the world, and this phenomenon severely threatens the potential utilisation of this control strategy. Therefore, this study was conducted 1) to evaluate the efficacy of commonly used anthelmintic on GINs in naturally infected sheep and 2) to assess the farmers' perception on anthelmintics utilisation practices in Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: One hundred twenty nematode infected sheep were used in this study. Sheep were selected based on the egg count (≥150 eggs per gram of faeces). The animals were allocated randomly into four groups (30 animals per group). Group-I, II and III were treated with Albendazole, Tetramisole, and Ivermectin, respectively. The 4th group was left untreated (as control). Faecal samples were collected on day 0 (before treatment), on day 3, 7, 10 and 14 (post-treatment). The modified McMaster technique was used for quantifying the eggs. Faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was applied to determine the efficacy of anthelmintic at day 14 (post-treatment). In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 100 randomly selected sheep owners. Results: All anthelmintics tested revealed significant (P < 0.05) reduction in nematode egg excretion in the sheep post-treatment. Faecal egg count reduction (FECR) levels for Albendazole, Tetramisole, and Ivermectin were 97.2, 98.9 and 97.7%, respectively. Post-treatment egg counts and percentage reduction of egg counts were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the treatment groups. The nematode genera identified before treatment were Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Cooperia, Trichuris, Teladorsagia, Bunostomum, and Strongyloides. Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus were detected after treatment with Albendazole and Ivermectin. The questionnaire survey revealed that Albendazole was the most commonly (90%) used anthelmintic to treat nematodes in sheep, followed by Tetramisole (36%) and Tetraclozan (Tetramisole-Oxyclozanide combination) (20%). Respondents expressed that anthelmintic selection was made based on veterinarian prescription (84%), colour (27%), efficacy (4%), price affordability (1%) and availability (1%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the tested anthelmintics had an acceptable level of efficacy against GINs of sheep.
Tropical Animal Health and Production, 2009
A total of 54 lambs, aged between 6-8 months were experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus to evaluate the efficacy of different anthelmintic brands sold on Ethiopian markets using the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and controlled anthelmintic efficacy trial. Accordingly four different albendazole (Alzole®, Analgon-300®, Albenjung_s® and Ahshialben-300®), two tetramisole (Tetsole® and Ashitetra 600) and two tetramisole-oxyclozanide (Tetraclozan sheep® and Tetraclozash 900®) brands were evaluated at the dosage rates recommended by the manufacturers. Animals were allocated into nine groups of six animals each, and balanced for faecal egg counts (FEC), based on their pre-treatment FEC and treatments were randomized among the groups. One group was kept untreated as a control. Faecal egg count was conducted on day 30 post-infection (day of treatment) and on the 10th day post-treatment. Evaluation of anthelmintics based on FECRT revealed high efficacy (99.55-100% reduction in FEC) for all anthelmintic brands tested against H. contortus. The worm count reduction test using controlled anthelmintic efficacy trial also supported the above finding with 99-100% efficacy of the tested anthelmintics. Therefore, the suspicion on the anthelmintic products as being substandard in quality is not credible, at least, for the brands investigated in this study and it might rather be attributed to under dosing. The need for a good extension system for livestock producers with regard to good anthelmintic usage practices, in light of the inevitable development of anthelminitic resistance, is emphasized. Regular surveillance and laboratory quality evaluation of the anthelmintic products in Ethiopia is indicated.
Open Access Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
A study aimed at assessing parasites control practices in use and to determine existence of gastro intestinal nematodes resistance for Albendazole, Tetraclozash and Ivermectin, in naturally infected sheep under field conditions in and around Bekoji Town. Sheep of both sexes were randomly selected from small holder farmers from different peasant associations were used for this study. Before administering of the drugs, screening was done to identify infected sheep with gastro-intestinal nematodes and eggs per grams (EPG) greater than 200 were eligible for inclusion in the field experiment following guidelines by Coles and his colleagues (1). Accordingly a total of 48 animals grouped into four treatment groups’ of Albendazole, Tetraclozash, Ivermectin and Control (i.e. left untreated). Albendazole, Tetramisole and Ivermectin were found 90.53%, 98.1% and 96.59 % respectively. The percentage reduction of fecal egg counts (FECs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for Albendazole, Tetracl...
Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2013
Efficacy of albendazole (ABZ), levamisole (LVM) and ivermectin (IVM) against gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) was evaluated in commercial goat farms in Gomba District, Uganda. On the farms, goats were randomly assigned to four groups (18-30 goats each). The first group served as the untreated control, the second was treated with ABZ (5 mg kg-1 BW), the third with LVM (7.5 mg kg-1 BW) and the fourth with IVM (0.2 mg kg-1 BW) at doses recommended by respective drug manufacturers. Fecal egg counts, expressed as eggs per gram and larval cultures were done on day zero before treatment and every 7 days after treatment. Anthelmintic efficacy was determined by the Fecal Egg Count Reduction (FECR) test. The observed FECR were 77.3%, 85% and 83%, for ABZ, LVM and IVM, respectively. Though FECR in all treated animals were significantly (P<0.05) lower than controls, there was no FECR of 95% or more. Coprocultures showed larvae of haemonchus species in albendazole treated goats. Continued shading (FECR <95%) of fecal eggs in all treated goats is indicative of anthelmintic resistance in the goat farming sector in Uganda. Further studies are needed to clarify the state of efficacy of commonly used anthelmintics in the different farming systems in Uganda.
A combination of cross-sectional and experimental study was conducted from December 2014 to January 2015 with the objectives of determining the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes and evaluating the efficacy of commonly used anthelmintic drugs in different sheep breeds in Areka agricultural research center sheep breed improvement farm, Wolayita, Southern Ethiopia. Prevalence study was conducted on the total of 229 sheep on station, belonging to 3 different breeds and the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was used to evaluate the efficacy of anthelmintics. For the anthelmintic efficacy trial, a total of 72 sheep; 24 sheep for each breed were selected based on their higher fecal egg count (FEC) (>150 eggs).The sheep were randomly assigned in to four groups for each breed. Anthelmintics tested were Albendazole, Tetramizole and Ivermectin for each group of sheep breed. From the total 229 different sheep examined, the overall prevalence of one or more gastrointestinal parasites was 86.6%. Individual breed prevalence was 90% for pure dorper, 92.9% for cross bred and 84.2% for local indigenous breed Predominant worm species were strongyle (71.9%), Trichuris (1.5%) and 26% of the positive specimens were harboring multiple worm species. Evaluation of the efficacy of anthelmintic by using FECRT revealed that Ivermectin and Albendazole did show resistance while Tetramizole was 100% effective against parasite treatment in all sheep breeds. Therefore the farm should practice strategic deworming system to reduce the problem of anthelmintic resistance and more controlled experimental trials that consider different season, agro ecology and using more sensitive methods like egg hatch and larval motility assay with varieties of anthelmintic brands to complement and support this finding.
Ethiopian Veterinary Journal, 2014
The study was conducted to investigate the status of anthelmintic (AH) efficacy and associated risk factors for AH resistance in sheep. Questionnaire surveys were undertaken to establish the AH utilization practices of sheep owners at the study area and identify risk factors. Four hundred fourteen sheep were sampled of which 180 sheep were selected based on their higher egg count for the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) to assess the efficacy of albendazole, tetramisole and ivermectin against gastrointestinal nematode parasites prevailing in sheep. Fecal culture and postmortem examination techniques were used to identify the species of nematode parasites prevalent before and after treatment. The results show that: 1) albendazole and tetramisole were the most frequently used AH in the area, 2) farmers get the drugs with or without prescription from various sources (10% open markets, 18% private drug stores and 72% government animal health clinics and 3) the prevalence of gastro-intestinal nematode infection in the study areas was 72%. 4) The FECRT revealed all the three tested AH were effective with egg count reduction levels of 96%, 99% and 97% respectively for albendazole, tetramisole and ivermectin. However, post-treatment fecal cultures and postmortem adult worm recovery showed that some Haemonchus contortus worms have escaped the treatments. In conclusion, no anthelmintic resistance was detected from clinical cure point of view but the population of H. contortus that has escaped the treatments deserves further scrutiny as this parasite is the most prolific and highly pathogenic in sheep.
Goat production is of great importance especially to the rural farmers in Uganda, serving a number of socioeconomic functions. Among the limitations of goat production in Uganda are Gastro Intestinal Nematodes (GINs). These are usually controlled using commercial Anthelmintic compounds. Due to continual improper usage of these drugs by the farmers, evolution of resistant strains has resulted thus affecting their effectiveness in controlling the GINs. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of four commercially available anthelmintics used for controlling Gastro Intestinal Nematodes (GINs) in goats on natural pastures in the south western highlands of Uganda. A mini survey was conducted prior to the current study to get information about the most commonly used anthelmintics in the study area. Initially, 240 goats were enrolled into the study and, 210 were used in the final analysis. The goats were randomly allocated to 5 different treatment groups at district level namely; untreated controls (CTRL), Albendazole 10% (ABZ), Ivermectin (IVE), Levamisole (LEV) and Closantel (CL). Faecal and blood samples were collected from each animal at 0, 14, 28 and 42 days post-treatment respectively and analysed for faecal egg counts (FEC) using the modified McMaster method. The percentage reduction, FECR % was calculated from the arithmetic mean and difference in FEC between breeds, district and age were assessed by univariate analysis of variance in SPSS. Results at day zero indicated that age and district had significant effect on FEC (P-value= 0.001 and 0.035respectively) while breed had no significant effect (P-value=0.465). At 14 days post-treatment, district, breed and treatment had significant effects on FEC (P-value=0.00, 0.02 and 0.05 respectively) while age was not (P=0.931). Albendazole and Levamizol were the most used drugs in the study area while Closantel and Ivermectin were the least used. Drug efficacy varied between districts, with the highest mean Fecal Egg Count Reduction (FECR) achieved with Closantel (FECR%=100%), while the lowest mean FECR observed with Albendazole (FECR%=49%) in Rukungiri and Kisoro districts respectively. Ivermectin was effective in all the four districts (FECRT% > 95%). Our study confirmed presence of Anthelmintic resistance (AR) by GIN in goats in the south western highlands of Uganda. Closantel is highly effective against GINs, but albendazole is not due to its wide spread usage. Further research is necessary to find and validate alternative strategies for the control of GINs in goats.
Scientific reports, 2024
Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) are major constraints to health and productivity of small ruminants. Methods of their control relies mainly on anthelmintic drugs; however, the indiscriminate use of these drugs could lead to the development of anthelmintic resistance (AR). This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of GINs infection, and field evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy in sheep. The epidemiological data were collected using a cross-sectional study design while a farm-based field study design was employed for the evaluation of anthelminthic efficacy. Furthermore, standard parasitological techniques were employed for qualitative and quantitative worm identification. The overall prevalence indicated 50.3%. Six genera of GINs (Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Oesophagostomum/Chabertia, Trichuris, Teladosargia/Ostertagia and Nematodirus) were identified. Among the identified genera, Haemonchus (25.4%) and Trichostrongylus (24.8%) were the dominant genera followed by mixed infection (21.8%), Oesophagostomum/Chabertia (10.4%), Trichuris (7.8%), Teladosargia (Ostertagia) (5.7%) and Nematodirus (4.1%). Mixed infections consisted either of double infections with Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus, or triple infections with Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Trichuris. The McMaster egg counting results showed that the mean EPG of infected sheep was 845.6. The results also showed 66 (34.2%), 101 (52.3%) and 26 (13.5%) sheep had low, moderate and heavy worm burden, respectively. Albendazole and Ivermectin showed low efficacy (percentage reductions = 90% and 92%; 95% lower confidence limit = 82.1% and 83.6% respectively) whereas Tetramisole was effective (FECR% = 96.8%; 95% LCL = 93.4%). Factors such as age, body condition, management system and past deworming history of sheep were found to have a statistically significant (p < 0.05) influence on the occurrence and burden of the worms. This is further explained as the highest prevalence and worm burden was detected in sheep of young age (p = 0.008; OR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.39-0.87), poor body condition (p = 0.001; OR = 0.08; 95% CI = 0.04-0.16) and sheep kept under semi-intensive (p = 0.04; OR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.02-2.29) with no deworming history for the last two months (p = 0.001; OR = 2.97; 95% CI = 1.94-4.56). The study results revealed that nematode infections were among sheep health constraints that could hurt their productivity while low efficacy of Albendazole and Ivermectin were detected. Therefore, the appropriate management techniques of GIN infections should be designed and implemented. Moreover, a further study involving more sensitive techniques (e.g. Mini-FLOTAC, molecular, and serological techniques) should be conducted by considering different host and environmental risk factors such as production level and seasons.