Abstract
We report the results of investigations that were conducted in a sheep flock in Uttaranchal, India where repeated failure of anthelmintic medication was noted. The study revealed that Haemonchus contortus in sheep had developed resistance to benzimidazoles (fenbendazole, mebendazole and albendazole), imidazothiazole (levamisole) and salicylanide (rafoxanide), while it was fully susceptible to avermectins (ivermectin). Further, the suppression of nematode egg output in faeces of sheep naturally infected with multiple anthelmintic-resistant H. contortus following treatment with ivermectin tablet (0.4 mg/kg body weight (bw), orally), ivermectin injection (1% w/v, 0.2 mg/kg bw, subcutaneously) and ivermectin pour-on (0.5 w/v, 0.5 mg/kg bw) was also studied over a period of 10 weeks post treatment. It was noted that ivermectin tablet after initial clearance of infection (faecal egg count reduction 100%), could not prevent establishment of new patent natural infection for even a single day, while ivermectin pour-on and injection prevented the establishment of new infection for 7 and 14 days post treatment, respectively. Maximum protection period (duration for which mean faecal egg count of sheep reaches 500 eggs per gram of faeces or more) of 68 days was recorded in sheep treated with injectable ivermectin, followed by pour-on (60 days) and oral (53 days) preparations.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- bw:
-
body weight
- DPT:
-
days post treatment
- e.p.g.:
-
eggs per gram of faeces
- FEC:
-
faecal egg count
- FECRT:
-
faecal egg count reduction test
- GI:
-
gastrointestinal
- MDR:
-
multiple drug-resistant
References
Alvinerie, M., Escdero, E., Sutra, J.F., Eeckhoutt, C. and Galtier, P., 1998. The pharmacokinetics of moxidectin after oral and subcutaneous administration to sheep. Veterinary Research, 29, 113–118
Arunachalam, K., Raman, M., Jeyathilakan, N. and Karunanidhi, K., 2005. Multiple anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes from Mecheri sheep in an organized farm in Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Animal Science, 75, 203–205
Borgsteede, F.H., 1993. The efficacy and persistant anthelmintic effect of ivermectin in sheep. Veterinary Parasitology, 50, 117–124
Coles, G.C., Bauer, G., Borgsteede, F.H.M., Geerts, S., Klei, T.R., Taylor, M.A. and Waller, P.J., 1992. World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) methods for the detection of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of veterinary importance. Veterinary Parasitology, 44, 35–44
Gill, B.S., 1996. Anthelmintic resistance in India. Veterinary Parasitology, 63, 173–176
Hennessy, D.R., Page, S.W. and Gottschall, D., 2000. The behaviour of doramectin in gastrointestinal tract, its secretion in bile and pharmacokinetic disposition in the peripheral circulation after oral and intravenous administration to sheep. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 23, 203–213
Lanusse, C., Lifschitz, A., Virkel, G., Alvarez, L., Sanchez, S., Sutra, J.F., Galtier, P. and Alvinerie, M., 1997. Comparative plasma disposition kinetics of ivermectin, moxidectin and doramectin in cattle. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 20, 91–99
MAFF, 1971. Manual of Veterinary Parasitological Techniques, (HMSO, London)
McKellar, Q.A. and Marriner, S.E., 1987. Comparison of the anthelmintic efficacy of oxfendazole or ivermectin administered orally and ivermectin administered subcutaneously to sheep during the peri-parturient period. Veterinary Record, 120, 383–386
Singh, D., Swarnkar, C.P. and Khan, F.A., 2002. Anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes of livestock in India. Journal of Veterinary Parasitology, 16, 115–130
Srivastava, V.K., Kumar, P.N., Khanna, P.N. and Singh, M., 1995. Gastrointestinal nematodiosis and drug resistance in sheep. Indian Veterinary Journal, 72, 14–16
Swarnkar, C.P., Singh, D., Khan, F.A. and Bhagwan, P.S.K., 1999. Multiple anthelmintic resistance in Haemonchus contortus of sheep. Indian Journal of Animal Science, 69, 547–549
Taylor, M.A. and Hunt, K.R., 1989. Anthelmintic drug resistance in the U.K. Veterinary Record, 125, 143–147
Yadav, C.L. and Garg, Rajat., 2004. Anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in Haryana. Journal of Veterinary Parasitology, 18, 39–42
Yadav, C.L. and Garg, Rajat., 2005. Status of anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes in India. In: Integrated Animal Parasite Management: From Academic Interest to Reality, Proceedings of FAO symposium, 8 December, 2005, Durg, Chhatisgarh, India, 9–22
Yadav, C.L., Uppal, R.P. and Kalra, S., 1993. Outbreak of haemonchosis associated with anthelmintic resistance in sheep. International Journal of Parasitology, 23, 411–413
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Garg, R., Kumar, R.R., Yadav, C.L. et al. Duration of Anthelmintic Effect of Three Formulations of Ivermectin (Oral, Injectable and Pour-on) Against Multiple Anthelmintic-Resistant Haemonchus contortus in Sheep. Vet Res Commun 31, 749–755 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-007-0054-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-007-0054-z