Efficacy of VERYL® in the treatment of cattle naturally infected with gastro-intestinal nematodes in Kenya.

Co-infections caused by trypanosomes and gastro-intestinal nematodes (GINs) compromise cattle productivity and their control requires a holistic approach. The effectiveness of trypanocides and anthelmintics is compromised by increasing resistance. Use of combined chemotherapeutic products for synergy, mainly practiced in human medicine, is gaining importance in livestock. A trial to evaluate efficacy of VERYL®, containing diminazene diaceturate (3.5 mg/kg body weight) and levamisole chloride (5 mg/kg body weight) for the control of GINs in cattle, was conducted at KALRO-VSRI Muguga, Kenya, between June and August 2016. Thirty-eight cattle aged between 6 and 12 months, naturally infected with GINs, were randomly allocated into two groups; a treatment group received VERYL® intra-muscularly at 10 mL/100 kg bwt and a control group which received Veriben® (Diminazene aceturate) at 3.5 mg/kg bwt. Faecal egg counts (FECs), coproculture, packed cell volume (PCV) and local tolerance at the injection site were measured during the study. FECs were comparable between the treatment and control groups at day 0. However, treatment of cattle with VERYL significantly (p < 0.001) reduced FECs by day 7 and sustained to day 21 post-treatment. Coproculture results for the treatment and control groups revealed presence of Haemonchus, Cooperia, Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus and Oesophagostomum species. Cattle treated with VERYL® had a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in larval recoveries compared to the control group. VERYL® had minimal adverse effects which cleared after a short while and is thus recommended for controlling GINs in cattle.

Comparison of ivermectin and thiabendazole for treatment of naturally occurring nematode infections of goats in Kenya.

The anthelmintic activity of thiabendazole (TBZ) at 88 mg kg-1 and ivermectin at 0.2 mg kg-1 was examined in goats with naturally-acquired nematode infections. In one experiment, a herd of 450 does was treated with TBZ or ivermectin at 4-week intervals for 9 months and efficacy was measured by reduction in faecal egg counts after each treatment. In a second experiment, 100 kids were treated with ivermectin and effectiveness measured at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment by comparison of their egg counts with those of nontreated controls. In a third experiment, efficacy of treatment with TBZ and ivermectin was determined by recovery of parasites at necropsy in a controlled test with 15 kids. The results indicated that TBZ generally did not reduce egg counts and only removed 19% of Haemonchus contortus in the controlled test. The efficacy of ivermectin approached 100% for reduction in egg counts and elimination of H. contortus. Species of Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus, Nematodirus and Oesophagostomum also were present in some subjects, but not in sufficient numbers to evaluate effectiveness of treatment.

Tick survey on goats and sheep in Kenya.

A tick survey was done on sheep and goats in Siaya and Kakamega Districts, Kenya between October 1980 and October 1981. Most of the animals were found to carry one to 10 ticks with no significant difference between sheep and goats. The most abundant species was R. appendiculatus followed by R. evertsi. There were more male than female ticks found on the animals. Thirty per cent of the farms visited practised the hand picking method of tick control while 14% regularly dipped their animals.