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Anthelmintic resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep grazing in irrigated and dry areas in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil

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Abstract

This study aimed to determine the AR of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) to commercial drugs in sheep flocks naturally infected, grazing in irrigated (IA) and dry (DA) areas of the semiarid region in northeastern Brazil. Fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) were performed at 10 farms. From each flock, 36 adult sheep were selected and divided into five groups (G1 (0.08% ivermectin), G2 (10% albendazole), G3 (5% levamisole), G4 (1% moxidectin), G5 (10% closantel) and one control group, G6). All the commercial drugs were found to reduce the number of eggs per gram of feces (EPG). Resistance to ivermectin (37.1%), albendazole (52.1%), and levamisole (52.0%) was detected at all the farms, but nematodes proved to be susceptible to moxidectin (87.9%) and closantel (83.9%). The overall average efficacy of the commercial drugs was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in DA (49.2%), where moxidectin (90.4%) showed high effectiveness. The presence of the parasite Haemonchus contortus predominated at all the farms. The variables irrigated area (P = 0.002), intensive breeding (P = 0.018), uncovered enclosures (P = 0.05), cultivated (P = 0.043) and native/cultivated (P = 0.007) pastures, and rotational grazing (P = 0.013) were significantly associated with GIN infection; irrigated area (P = 0.009), semi-intensive breeding (P = 0.05), rotational grazing (P = 0.045), cultivated (P = 0.021) and native/cultivated (P = 0.04) pastures, and estimated weighing of animals (P = 0.002) were significantly associated with AR. Therefore, improved management practices and strategic deworming must be implemented to prevent the development of AR.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Daiane D. Ribeiro, Flora C.S. Santos, Gabrielle L.S. Lucas, Ivo W.G. da Silva and Mateus P. Granja for their collaboration during feces collection, to the owners and rural workers, to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for fellowship to Lauricia S. Nascimento, and to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for research fellowship to M.C. Horta (grant number: 308668/2018-9).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Vale do São Francisco (Univasf), Campus Ciências Agrárias, Rodovia BR 407, km 12, Lote 543, Projeto de Irrigação Senador Nilo Coelho s/n, Petrolina, PE, 56300-990, Brazil

    Lauricia S. Nascimento, Anna M. C. F. Evaristo, Glauber M. B. Oliveira, Matheus S. Ferreira, Déborah L. R. Silva, Sandra M. Yamamoto, Márcia M. Araújo & Mauricio C. Horta

  2. Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, São Paulo, SP, 05508-270, Brazil

    Glauber M. B. Oliveira

  3. Academic Unit for Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Patos, PB, Brazil

    Sergio S. Azevedo

Authors
  1. Lauricia S. Nascimento
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  2. Anna M. C. F. Evaristo
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  9. Mauricio C. Horta
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Contributions

Lauricia S. Nascimento: conceptualization, methodology, writing-original draft, and writing-review and editing. Anna M.C.F. Evaristo: methodology, writing-original draft. Glauber M.B. Oliveira: methodology. Matheus S. Ferreira: methodology. Déborah L.R. Silva: methodology. Sergio S. Azevedo: methodology and writing-review and editing. Sandra M. Yamamoto: methodology and writing-review and editing. Márcia M. Araújo: methodology and writing-review and editing. Mauricio C. Horta: conceptualization, methodology, resources, writing-original draft, and writing-review and editing.

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Correspondence to Mauricio C. Horta.

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All the procedures followed the ethical standards for animal experimentation established by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA) at the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco (CEUA/UNIVASF; protocol number 004/180917).

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Nascimento, L.S., Evaristo, A.M.C.F., Oliveira, G.M.B. et al. Anthelmintic resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep grazing in irrigated and dry areas in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 267 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02647-w

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