Cost-benefit ratio of anthelmintic treatment and its comparative efficacy in commercial dairy farms

Abstract

Intestinal parasitic infection is one of the major challenges in obtaining optimal production and maintaining the health and welfare of all animals including cattle and buffaloes. Anti-parasitic treatments appear to be a reliable countermeasure. However, the effectiveness and selection of suitable anthelmintics require situational assessments in a given locality. In the current study, the efficacy and impact of benzimidazole (albendazole) were assessed in a total of 400 (100 each) on the performance of buffaloes, buffalo-heifer, cattle, and cattle-heifers at two commercial dairy farms in the Province of Punjab, Pakistan. Additionally, the cost-benefit ratio was calculated by assessing the inputs (medication, feed, and labor cost) and outputs (milk and weight gain). The qualitative and quantitative examination of helminth eggs in each type of animal indicated a prevalence of 73.3, 78.3, 76.6, and 85.0% in cattle, cattle-heifers, buffaloes, and buffaloes-heifers, respectively. Specifically, a highest rate (10.0–13.3%) of Haemonchus sp. infection was only observed in cattle and heifers, while Fasciola sp. infections (10.0–11.6%) were the most often found species in buffaloes and heifers. The highest anthelmintic impacts (egg per gram of feces, p < 0.001) were observed on day 14 post-medication. Until 60 days of post-anthelmintic treatment, an average increase of 0.8 and 0.7 L in milk production per day in cattle and buffaloes, respectively while a total of 11.45 and 9.45 kg body weight were noticed in cattle-heifer and buffaloes-heifer, respectively. Cumulative cost-benefit analysis indicated a positive correlation between treated and non-treated animals. These findings reiterate the importance of anthelmintic drugs in reducing the impacts of parasites on the productivity, health, and well-being of an animal under high infection challenges.

ACV with/without IVM: a new talk on intestinal CDX2 and muscular CD34 and Cyclin D1 during Trichinella spiralis infection

“…However, the evidence of combining the two regimens (IVM+ACV) (subgroup 4) body weight was analogous to healthy animals. Thus, combined treatment appeared to exert better anti-helminthic performance and chances of recovery ( Rashid et al ., 2022 ).…”

An Update on the Pathogenesis of Fascioliasis: What Do We Know?

“…Weight loss has been reported in Fasciola infections in animals and treating fascioliasis in livestock increases milk production and weight gain. 123 Weight loss and chronic malnutrition has been associated with fascioliasis in humans with a particular impact on school aged children. 11,124 However, the mechanisms underlying weight loss in acute and chronic fascioliasis have not been well characterized.…”