Efficacy of closantel for treatment of naturally-acquired and experimentally-induced Fasciola hepatica infections in cattle

Shin, Sung-shik; Lee, Chung-gil; Cho, Shin-hyeong; Kim, Jong-taek; Wee, Sung-ha

Korean Journal of Veterinary Research 1995;35(2):347-352.

Sung-shik Shin¹, Chung-gil Lee¹, Shin-hyeong Cho¹, Jong-taek Kim¹, Sung-ha Wee²

¹College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University
²Eastern Branch, Chonnam Veterinary Laboratory Service

소에 자연 또는 인공감염된 간질(Fasciola hepatica)에 미치는 closantel의 구충 효과

신성식¹, 이정길¹, 조신형¹, 김종택¹, 위성하²

¹전남대학교 수의과대학
²전라남도 가축위생시험소 순천지소

Abstract

The efficacy of closantel against naturally-acquired and experimentally-induced F hepatica and param-phistomes were administered once orally with closantel at the level of 5mg/kg body weight. In a double-checked fecal examination, cows treated with closantel did not contain F hepatica eggs in their feces at second week post-treatment(PT). At the third and fourth weeks PT, however, Fasciola eggs were found in the feces of 3 treated cows, resulting in a 97.7% efficacy. Of the 41 treated cattle, 30 were at various stages of gestation. No side effects were observed in any of the treated cows and congenital defects among calves born from the treated cows were not reported. Closantel was not effective against paramphistomes. In a separate experiment, 16 Holstein caves were experimentally infected with 300 F hepatica metacercariae each. F hepatica eggs were found in the feces of all infected calves by 14 weeks post-infection(PI). Calves were then treated at 18 weeks PI once orally with 5mg/kg body weight closantel. None of the treated calves contained F hepatica eggs in their feces at 2nd, 3rd or 4th week PT. Our results indicate that oral administration of closantel at the level of 5mg/kg body weight eliminated all mature F hepatica in the liver, while some of immature flukes survived to become adult and produce eggs.

Key Words: Fasciola hepatica, Paramphistomum, closantel, chemotherapy, cattle, Korea