Abstract
We report on the use of the faecal egg count reduction test to evaluate the performance of ivermectin in treating gastrointestinal nematode infections in first grazing season (FGS) calves on four dairy farms in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. On each farm, FGS calves were injected subcutaneously with ivermectin in accordance with their live weight (day 0). Calves were individually faecal sampled on both day 0 and day 14. Faecal egg counts were determined using the Mini-FLOTAC technique. Composite faecal cultures for each farm were performed on each sampling occasion. The faecal egg count reductions (mode) ranged from 17.3–80.2% with the lower 95% confidence limit ranging from 3.1–72.3% on the four farms, respectively. Ivermectin-resistant nematodes were detected on all farms, with evidence of Ostertagia resistance on one farm. This study highlights the urgent need for Irish producers to reappraise their parasite control practices.
Highlights
Given the increase in the number of reports of the detection of anthelmintic-resistant nematodes in cattle [1,2,3], there is a clear need to establish the efficacy of commonly used anthelmintics on Irish cattle farms so as to ensure that neither animal welfare nor performance is compromised.Of the anthelmintics available to beef and dairy producers, macrocyclic lactones (Group 3 -MLs) such as ivermectin are a popular choice [4, 5] and their popularity with producers can be readily explained by both their ease of use and their persistence of activity against gastrointestinal nematodes [6, 7]
Concerns exist over their long term sustainability and resistance to them has already been reported on two Irish beef research farms [8]
We report on the use of the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) to evaluate the performance of ivermectin in treating gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections in first grazing season (FGS) calves on four dairy farms in Co
Summary
Given the increase in the number of reports of the detection of anthelmintic-resistant nematodes in cattle [1,2,3], there is a clear need to establish the efficacy of commonly used anthelmintics on Irish cattle farms so as to ensure that neither animal welfare nor performance is compromised. Of the anthelmintics available to beef and dairy producers, macrocyclic lactones (Group 3 -MLs) such as ivermectin are a popular choice [4, 5] and their popularity with producers can be readily explained by both their ease of use (e.g. available as pour-ons, low dose volume) and their persistence of activity against gastrointestinal nematodes [6, 7]. We report on the use of the FECRT to evaluate the performance of ivermectin in treating gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections in first grazing season (FGS) calves on four dairy farms in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
