Severe anthelmintic resistance in two free grazing small holder goat farms in Malaysia

Abstract

The use of anthelmintics in Kinta district has been ineffective in varying degrees in small ruminants due to anthelmintic resistance. In 2012, two goat farms experiencing severe mortality up to 30% in the flock were tested for anthelmintic resistance using the Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) with four anthelmintic from the group; Benzimidazoles, Imidazothiazoles, Macrocyclic Lactones and Salicylanilides. Fifteen animals were used in each group and treated according to the recommended dose rates based on body weights and faecal egg counts and larval cultures were conducted. Results showed that Haemonchus contortus and Trichostongylus colubriformis in these two farms were resistant to all the four anthelmintic group tested. As these two farms were actively exporting their animals to the other farm, the results in this paper indicate that nematode resistant worms are actively dispersed to the other farms in the country. This would be a factor that will hinder the actions taken to alleviate the nematode anthelmintic resistance problem in Malaysia. © 2013 Chandrawathani P, et al.