DORAMECTIN, A NEW AVERMECTIN HIGHLY EFFICACIOUS AGAINST GASTROINTESTINAL NEMATODES AND LUNGWORMS OF CATTLE AND PIGS - 2 STUDIES CARRIED OUTUNDER FIELD CONDITIONS IN GERMANY
H. Mehlhorn et al., DORAMECTIN, A NEW AVERMECTIN HIGHLY EFFICACIOUS AGAINST GASTROINTESTINAL NEMATODES AND LUNGWORMS OF CATTLE AND PIGS - 2 STUDIES CARRIED OUTUNDER FIELD CONDITIONS IN GERMANY, Parasitology research, 79(7), 1993, pp. 603-607
Two field studies were carried out to confirm the efficacy of doramect
in in cattle and pigs in Europe. A total of 40 cattle harbouring natur
ally acquired infections of gastrointestinal nematodes, including Oste
rtagia spp., Oesophagostomum spp., Cooperia spp., Haemonchus spp., Nem
atodirus spp. and Trichuris spp., were allocated to a treated or a con
trol group (20 animals/group), and 100 harbouring naturally acquired i
nfections of gastrointestinal nematodes and lungworms, including Oesop
hagostomum spp., Metastrongylus spp., Ascaris suum and Trichuris suis,
were allocated to either a treated (60 pigs) or a control (40 pigs) g
roup. Animals in the treated groups received an injection of doramecti
n at 200 mug/kg (1 ml/50 kg) for cattle or 300 mug/kg (1 ml/33 kg) for
swine. Animals in the control groups received saline at 1 ml/50 kg fo
r cattle or 1 ml/33 kg for swine. The cattle were injected by the subc
utaneous route in the lateral mid-line of the neck and the pigs were i
njected intramuscularly in the neck. Faecal egg counts were determined
for all animals on days -7, 0, 7, 14 and 21 of the studies, where day
0 was the day of treatment. The mean daily weight gain of doramectin-
treated animals was significantly higher than that of the control anim
als over the 21 days of the studies (P<0.0007 for cattle and P = 0.000
1 for swine). At 21 days after treatment, the mean faecal egg counts o
f the doramectin-treated animals were significantly lower than those o
f the control animals and were reduced by 100% as compared with pretre
atment levels. No adverse reaction to treatment was observed in any an
imal during either study. It is concluded that doramectin is highly ef
ficacious in the treatment of mixed infections of gastrointestinal nem
atodes and lungworms in both cattle and pigs.