Effectiveness of benzimidazole treatments against Haemonchus contortus in sheep and goats – Do they produce similar responses?

The primary aim of this study was to compare the in vivo responses to orally administered doses of albendazole (5 mg/kg body weight) between experimentally infected sheep and goats. Fifty-four Improved Valachian lambs and 54 Saanen goat kids were split into six groups of nine animals. The sheep and goats were infected with larvae of the gastrointestinal nematode parasite Haemonchus contortus containing 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 80 % of the isotype-1 β-tubulin gene codon 200 alleles previously shown to be associated with benzimidazole (BZ)-resistance. All groups of goats generally had higher mean eggs per gram (EPG) before treatment, which was significant (p<0.05) only for the group with 80 % resistance alleles. An in vivo faecal egg reduction test (FECRT) was used to determine the efficacy of albendazole (ABZ) eight days after treatment. Anthelmintic treatment significantly reduced the EPGs in the groups with 10, 20, and 80 % resistance alleles in sheep and with 10, 20, 30, and 40 % resistance alleles in goats. Differences in efficacy between the sheep and goats after the application of doses of ABZ recommended for sheep mostly ranged from 2 % to 10 %. The largest variation was in the group infected with worms containing 60 % resistance alleles, where the efficacy was 13 % higher in goats. Our secondary aims were to evaluate the data obtained from an in vitro egg hatch test (EHT) in sheep and goats and to compare these data with the results from the isotype-1 β-tubulin gene codon 200 pyrosequencing and the FECRT. The percentages of the BZ-resistance alleles were comparable with the mean hatching obtained in the EHT and were also supported by the FECRT data for all groups. The results of the in vivo tests should be verified in the future using in vivo surveys conducted in mixed breeds and infections in multiple species

First record of Cathaemasia hians (Trematoda: Cathaemasiidae) in a new bird host, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)

An injured young individual of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca; Accipitridae) from the Protected Bird Area „Medzibodrožie” in the south-eastern Slovakia was subjected to the complete clinical examination at the Clinic for Birds and Exotic Animals of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. Adult trematodes were isolated from the pharynx of the eagle after oesophagoscopy. The morphological and molecular identification of the flukes confirmed a trematode Cathaemasia hians (Cathaemasiidae), the obligate parasite of black storks (Ciconia nigra) and white storks (Ciconia ciconia). This finding represents the first documented case of C. hians in new bird host species and indicates broader spectrum of definitive hosts of the fluke

Changes in haematological parameters in wild ruminants experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus

Our study describes changes in haematological parameters in wild ruminants with parasitic infection. Six European mouflons (Ovis musimon), six fallow deer (Dama dama) and six roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were experimentally infected with the resistant strain of the model parasite 8000 L3 Haemonchus contortus. The blood samples were collected on Day 0, 16, 37, 58, 77, and 99 of the experiment. Mild anaemia was observed in mouflons and roe deer while red blood cells increased in red blood counts (total erythrocytes, haematocrit and haemoglobin). As for the white blood cells count, leucopenia with neutrophilia and lymphopenia was recorded in mouflons, in the fallow deer and roe deer leucocytosis with neutropenia and lymphocytosis were observed. Changes in the dynamics of haematological parameters were statistically insignificant

Development of resistance to eprinomectin in gastrointestinal nematodes in a goat herd with pre-existing resistance to benzimidazoles

We described a first case of resistance to eprinomectin in goat herd in Poland in which resistance to benzimidazoles had been previously reported. The herd was established in 2011 by purchasing several goats from a single herd in south-eastern Poland. Resistance to benzimidazoles in the herd was first reported in 2017. Shortly after the owner started to signal low effectiveness of the treatment with eprinomectin. In June 2018 the larval development test from pooled faecal sample was performed and the results indicated the presence of resistance to macrocyclic lactones and levamisole. In July 2018 a faecal egg count (FEC) reduction test was performed in 39 animals with levamisole, eprinomectin and one untreated control group. Drugs were used in doses recommended for goats. Three methods of calculation of FEC reduction were compared. After eprinomectin treatment, FEC reduction ranged from 0 to 20%, depending on the method of calculation. FEC reduction following levamisole treatment was 100%. Main species present in the faecal samples after treatment and in larvicidal concentrations in larval development test was Haemonchus contortus. This is the first report of anthelminthic resistance to macrocylic lactones (eprinomectin) in goats in Poland. © 2019 Polish Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved