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. 2019 Oct 10;9(10):775.
doi: 10.3390/ani9100775.

Detection of Gastrointestinal Nematode Populations Resistant to Albendazole and Ivermectin in Sheep

Jaime Mondragón-Ancelmo  1 , Agustín Olmedo-Juárez  2 , David Emanuel Reyes-Guerrero  3 , Gabriel Ramírez-Vargas  4 , Amairany Emithziry Ariza-Román  5 , María Eugenia López-Arellano  6 , Pedro Mendoza de Gives  7 , Fabio Napolitano  8
Affiliations

Detection of Gastrointestinal Nematode Populations Resistant to Albendazole and Ivermectin in Sheep

Jaime Mondragón-Ancelmo et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Gastrointestinal parasite infections represent a major welfare problem in small ruminants reared in extensive systems, which may be exacerbated by anthelmintic resistance. Therefore, we aimed to study the efficacy of albendazole and ivermectin in sheep. Eighty-six animals were selected from commercial farms in the temperate area of the State of Mexico at the age of seven months. These animals were randomly distributed into three groups: Group A, treated with albendazole, Group I, treated with ivermectin and Group C, left untreated. Faecal samples were collected before the anthelmintic was administered and 15 days post-treatment. Both Group A and Group I displayed a significant decrease of faecal egg counts when pre- and post-treatment values were compared (p = 0.003 and p = 0.049, respectively), and a significantly lower faecal egg count when compared with Group C after the treatment (p < 0.05). However, the faecal egg count reduction test showed that gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) developed anthelmintic resistance to both albendazole and ivermectin. The results of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allowed the identification of Cooperia spp., and Trichostrongylus colubriformis. The allele-specific PCR results confirmed that T. colubriformis was resistant to albendazole. In conclusion, this study showed the presence of resistant GIN to albendazole and ivermectin in sheep reared in Mexican temperate zones. Therefore, nematode infections should be systematically monitored in order to implement integrated management strategies to prevent the spread of anthelmintic resistance.

Keywords: anthelminthic resistance; benzimidazole; gastrointestinal nematodes; ivermectin; sheep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Agarose gel at 3% showing the PCR products of 151, 176 and 243 base pairs (bp) corresponding to Cooperia spp., Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp., respectively; MM-molecular marker.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Agarose gel at 3% showing the PCR products of 250 base pairs (bp) that correspond to resistance; R= resistant allele and S = susceptibility allele. MM-molecular marker.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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