Evaluating a combined method of control of the ovine haemonchosis under controlled conditions

Abstract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of a combined method of parasitic control, with albendazol and Duddingtonia flagrans chlamydospores in Haemonchus contortus artificially infected sheep. Fourty H. contortus infected sheep, were used. This experiment was carried out in a 90 d period. Sheep were ramdomly divided into four groups of 10 animals each and received the following treatments: Group 1, albendazol at 7.5 mg/kg at d 0, 30 and 60, Group 2, received an oral treatment with 1x106 D. flagrans chlamydospores per kilogram, Group 3 received a combined treatment: albendazol was orally administered twice, at d 1 and 60 at the previously mentioned dose, and was also orally treated with D. flagrans chlamydospores everyday from d 30 to d 60 at the same dose than group 2, Group 4 (control group). Faecal samples were directly taken from rectum of sheep everyday during 90 days and the number of eggs per grams of feces (EPG) and the recovery and quantification of H. contortus larvae from coprocultures, were carried out. An ANOVA for a repeated measurements model was used (P<0.05). Results showed a high anthelmintic efficacy (91 %) for albendazol, meanwhile, the biological and the combined methods resulted in 69 and 79 % larval reduction in fecal cultures, respectivelly and the three groups showed statistic differences with respect to the control group. The combined method using albendazol and D. flagrans chlamydospores is a promissory alternative against the ovine haemonchosis.