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Anthelmintic activities of 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1 (comprised to greater than or equal to 95% 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1a and less than or equal to 5% 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1b) against gastrointestinal nematodes in calves were evaluated in 2 controlled experiments. Infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia ostertagi, Trichostrongylus axei, T colubriformis, Cooperia oncophora, and C punctate were given to 11-week-old calves and Oesophagostomum radiatum had been given 21 days earlier to allow all larvae to attain adulthood at the same time. Each experiment had 4 groups of 5 calves each. Treatment was given to the calves at 14 weeks of age, and 7 to 8 days after treatment, the calves were necropsied. In experiment 1, group 1 control calves had a geometric mean of 11,054 nematodes; groups 2, 3, and 4 calves (at 14 weeks of age) given 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1 orally at doses of 50, 100, or 200 microgram/kg had reductions of 73.5%, 97.3%, and 99.7%, respectively. In experiment 2, group 5 control calves had a geometric mean of 18,897 nematodes; groups 6, 7, and 8 calves given 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1 subcutaneously at doses of 50, 100, or 200 microgram/kg had reductions of 74.6%, 95.3%, and 98.8%, respectively.

Anthelmintic activities of albendazole were evaluated in a controlled experiment. Forty calves experimentally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes were allotted to 4 groups. Calves in group 1 were used as nonmedicated controls; calves in groups 2, 3, and 4 were given (by oral route) a suspension containing albendazole at dose concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mg/kg of body weight on the 35th day after administration of infective nematode larvae. In groups 2, 3, and 4 calves, average overall reductions (based on geometric means) were 77.1, 93.6, and 98.1%, respectively. These reductions were highly significant (P less than 0.01) in calves given doses of 5.0 and 7.5 mg/kg, and were significant (P less than 0.05) in calves given the 2.5-mg/kg dose. Ostertagia ostertagi, Trichostrongylus axei, Cooperia onchophora, Cooperia punctata, and Oesophagostomum radiatum removals at the 5.0- and 7.5-mg/kg dose levels were all highly significant (P less than 0.01); whereas, removals of Haemonchus contortus were not significant, even at the 7.5-mg/kg dose level.

Anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin (greater than or equal to 80% 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1a and less than or equal to 20% 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1b) was evaluated in a controlled experiment against immature nematodes. Twenty calves raised to about 8 weeks of age under nematode-free conditions were allocated into 4 groups. Infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia ostertagi, Trichostrongylus axei, T colubriformis, Cooperia oncophora, C punctata, Oesophagostomum radiatum, and Dictyocaulus viviparus were given orally to each calf on a staggered schedule 6 to 14 days before treatments. The drug was given subcutaneously when the nematodes were in the early 4th stage of development, and the calves were killed 23 or 24 days later. Group 1 nonmedicated control calves had a geometric mean of 25,102 nematodes; groups 2, 3, and 4 calves given ivermectin at dose rates of 50, 100, or 200 micrograms/kg had reductions of 88.2%, 98.0%, and 99.8%, respectively.

Anthelmintic activity of albendazole against adult Dictyocaulus viviparus was evaluated in a controlled experiment. Calves were raised nematode-free to approximately 8 weeks of age and were each given 4,000 infective 3rd-stage larvae. Twenty calves with patent parasitisms were allotted to 2 groups of 10 calves each. Calves in group 1 were used as nonmedicated controls, and calves in group 2 were given albendazole in paste formulation at the dosage concentration of 7.5 mg/kg of body weight on the 30th day after administration of infective larvae. At necropsy, nonmedicated control calves had a total of 308 adult D viviparus, whereas the albendazole-treated calves had 11, for an average efficacy of 96.4%. These reductions were statistically highly significant (P less than 0.01). At necropsy, none of the treated calves was passing 1st-stage C viviparus larvae in their feces, whereas control calves were passing an average of 46 larvae/10 g of feces.

Anthelmintic activities of the B1a fraction of avermectin were evaluated in a controlled experiment. Twenty 12-week-old calves artificially infected with gastrointestinal nematodes were allotted to four groups. Calves in group 1 were used as nonmedicated controls; other calves in groups 2, 3, and 4 were given (orally) B1a avermectin at dosage levels of 50, 100, and 200 microgram/kg of body weight, respectively. These treatments were given 35 days after calves were inoculated with infective nematode larvae. In groups 2, 3, and 4, overall reductions (based on geometric means) were 98.6%, 98.7%, and 98.4%, respectively. These reductions were highly significantly different (P less than 0.01) from the control calves. Nematodes in the calves were Haemonchus contortus. Ostertagia ostertagi, Trichostrongylus axei, T colubriformis, Cooperia oncophora, C punctata, and Oesophagostomum radiatum.

Eighteen calves about 3 months old were inoculated with 3,000 Dictyocaulus viviparus infective larvae. Three groups of 6 calves each were formed. Thirteen days after inoculations, 3 of the 6 group 1 control calves were given vehicle subcutaneously (SC) and the group 2 calves were given ivermectin at the dose rate of 200 micrograms/kg, SC. Thirty-five days after inoculation, the remaining 3 calves in group 1 were given vehicle SC and the group 3 calves were given ivermectin at the dose rate of 200 micrograms/kg, SC. Necropsies were performed 42 days after inoculations. A total of 474 D viviparus was recovered from the group 1 control calves, whereas none was recovered from the calves treated when the nematodes were in the 4th stage of development (group 2) or adult stage (group 3).