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In searching for herbal alternatives for treating coccidiosis in turkeys, this trial aimed to evaluate whether minced black garlic (Allium sativa) or turmeric powder (Curcuma longa) or their combination, included in dried alginate beads, controlling clinical coccidiosis in turkey male poults. A total of 150 twelve-day-old male turkeys were randomly distributed into 15 pens of 10 turkeys per pen. Groups were: CTR = control untreated turkeys; GAR = turkeys fed 4 % of their diet with minced garlic included in dried alginate beads; CUR = treated fed 4 % powder curcuma, also prepared as dried alginate beads; GA = containing only alginate), and GC= turkeys fed 8 % of their diet with the mixture of minced black garlic plus powder curcuma (4 %), entrapped in dried alginate beads. Treatments were incorporated as feed-dressing, considering their mean feed intake. Results reveal that turkeys in group GC showed a significant decrease in oocysts per gram of feces during the first six weeks of age compared to values found in the CTR group and the other treatments. These results identify that in turkey poults, there is a statistically significant anticoccidial activity of the combination of minced garlic plus powder curcuma, included in alginate beads and administered as 4 % of their feed intake. Additionally, better productive variables were recorded for this combination compared to the other three groups (P < 0.05). The use of vehicles for the digestive tract of turkeys may improve the effectiveness of plant extracts for the control of coccidiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is sufficient scientific evidence to support that residues of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) administered to livestock raised in the open, can cause fatal renal crystallization in vultures’ species, and perhaps other birds such as eagles, if treated animals enter the trophic chain. This phenomenon caused the population of vultures to decline sharply, on the brink of extinction, in India, Pakistan, Tibet, and many countries in the Middle East. For this reason, except for Spain, this medication has been prohibited for veterinary use in the rest of Europe, the United States of America, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. In contrast, in Latin America, diclofenac is available for veterinary use in various preparations alone or combined with antibacterial drugs. The precise impact this is generating on the native species of vultures and other birds that feed on animals that die in open pastures and are not incinerated is unknown. Given the nature of our livestock production via small producers and extensive farming, most animals medicated with this NSAID can enter the natural food chain and become part of the vulture diet. Most researchers who have studied this ecological problem have recommended that countries adhere to the precautionary principle of prohibiting its sale until there is concrete evidence of the magnitude of the damage that the permissive use of diclofenac in veterinary medicine may cause in Latin America. In Mexico, the official standard NOM-064-ZOO-2000, Lineamientos para la clasificación y prescripción de los productos farmacéuticos veterinarios por el nivel de riesgo de sus ingredientes activos, recommends incinerating animals treated with diclofenac, a command that does not fit our daily reality. The question is: shall Latin American countries remain inactive despite a hitherto invisible ecological disaster? Research in Latin America needs to be carried out that supports or rejects the possible impact of diclofenac on wild species, including vultures. However, many countries on the continent, including Mexico, have adhered to the 11th Declaration of Rio for Sustainable Development in the 21st century. Based on this, we propose that action should be taken without delay to avoid or limit an ecological disaster by banning diclofenac in veterinary medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep production requires the constant assessment of parasitic burden and the efficacy of existing treatments for proper management. In this study, the administration of five different treatments was evaluated for the reduction of the percentage of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) shed by gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) from sheep on three different sheep-breeding farms in Mexico (Texcoco, Estado de Mexico; Hueytamalco, Puebla; and Tlaltizapán de Zapata, Morelos). In these farms, ivermectin and benzimidazole derivatives had been routinely administered for two consecutive years. To determine whether drugs with different pharmacological properties decreased GIN fecal egg excretion, the treatments closantel (CLOS), albendazole (ABZ) and fenbendazole (FBZ) were administered alone and in combinations of CLOS + ABZ and CLOS + FBZ, to five groups of sheep, with an additional untreated control group on each farm (n = 28 per flock). Anthelmintic resistance was determined using Fecal Egg Count Reduction Tests (FECRT) as recommended in the guidelines of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology. Fecal samples were collected 14 and 21 days after treatment. The anthelmintic resistance status was determined based on the reduction in the fecal egg count arithmetic mean and 95 % confidence limits. According to the FECRT, resistance developed to CLOS, ABZ, FBZ and CLOS + FBZ because the mean percentage of EPG reduction was ≤ 95 % with a lower confidence limit of ≤ 90 %. By contrast, nematode susceptibility was confirmed for the CLOS + ABZ combination, as it reduced the percentage of GIN fecal egg output by 96.46 ± 3.04 % (day 14) and 96.88 ± 3.04 % (day 21). Based on the morphometric identification of larvae, Haemonchus spp., Cooperia spp. and Teladorsagia spp. were the most abundant genera on all farms before the administration of these five treatments. In conclusion, the use of the anthelmintic combination of closantel plus albendazole may reduce the development of anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]