Health Care

Score0 (0 Votes)

Why are combination drenches the new standard for cattle?

A recent scientific article in the Australian Cattle Veterinarians (ACV) journal highlights the need to check that your weaner drench is effective. Drench resistance is widespread in Australia. 6-11,13

THE ACV JOURNAL ARTICLE OUTLINES VALUABLE RECENT DATA FROM 2018 - 2021 ON:

  • The extent of drench resistance in Australian cattle worms
  • How different drenches work against different worm types
  • Productivity responses when more effective drenches are used on-farm

AN EFFECTIVE DRENCH IS ESSENTIAL TO DRIVE GOOD PRODUCTIVITY IN CATTLE. 1,2,3,4

The important worms in Australian cattle are Barber’s Pole Worm, Cooperia, and Ostertagia.5 Drench resistance in these worms can decrease productivity.1,2,3,11,13

The ACV article collates 25 trial results to show that the overall mean efficacy of single active drenches in Australian cattle is only 72%. Drenches need to work at 95% or better.

NA means there were no larvae of that genus in the faecal culture for that treatment group.

Product/Active/route No. of tests mean result based on Efficiency
(%)
Total		 Efficiency
(%)
Haemonchus		 Efficiency
(%)
Cooperia		 Efficiency
(%)
Ostertagia
Cydectin
Platinum
Moxidectin/
Levamisole PO		 25 99.4 99.4 99.3 100
Moxidectin PO 10 67.8 75 69.3 99
Doramectin PO 8 53.5 28.9 71.9 NA
Ivermectin PO 3 68.3 0.0 87.3 NA
Abamectin PO 2 72.5 51.0 86.0 97.0
Levamisole PO 6 96.8 99.7 99.7 73.0


Other key findings include the following:

  • Combination drench, Cydectin Platinum was 99-100% effective against key cattle worms.
  • All single active drenches were not effective against all worm types.
  • Productivity responses when more effective drenches are used on-farm.

THE IMPACT OF DRENCH RESISTANCE ON CATTLE PRODUCTIVITY

Over eight weeks, failing to effectively remove worm burdens in growing cattle can mean a loss of 8-12 kg.1,2 This is a problem because failings may undermine investment in genetics and feed in the animal health program.

Virbac senior livestock technical services manager Dr Matt Ball encourages farmers to choose the most effective cattle drench to fight parasites. “We now recognise that single active drenches can no longer effectively control all key worms or protect productivity."

COMBINATION DRENCH, CYDECTIN PLATINUM LED TO INCREASED WEIGHT GAIN

2020-21, James Cook University (Townsville, Northern Australia) and NSW DPI (North Coast, NSW) investigated cattle weight gain after treating weaners with different drench products. Cydectin Platinum increased weight gain (for example, 8 kg more than doramectin pour-on over two months).

WHAT IS CYDECTIN PLATINUM?

Cydectin Platinum is the next-generation pour-on drench for cattle containing moxidectin, and levamisole delivers:

  • Unrivalled worm control (99-100%), highly effective against single and dual-resistant worms13
  • Effective against resistant cattle ticks
  • Increases weight gain compared to single active drenches1-4
  • Short 7-day withholding period & Nil Milk WHP
  • Only combination drench with persistent activity - prevents pasture contamination for up to 35 days.
  • No known impact on dung beetles.

It is also the first veterinary use of DMI-Sorb technology, which concentrates the product in the areas where it was applied and reduces absorption variability. All this is done in the convenience of an easy-to-use, volume pour-on.

MORE INFORMATION:

au.virbac.com/platinum | 1800 242 100

REFERENCES:

  1. Canton et al (2019) Impact on beef cattle productivity of infection with anthelmintic-resistant nematodes, NZ Veterinary Journal, 68: 187-192.
  2. NSW DPI (2020) Duck Creek Endoparasite Trial - Virbac Data on File.
  3. Virbac (2016) Weaner Productivity Trials - Data on File
  4. Eccleston & Watt (2016) Post Weaning Growth of beef heifers drenched with long and short-acting anthelmintics, AVJ, 94:341-346.
  5. The Australian Society for Parasitology (2014) Australasian Animal Parasites Inside Out. E-Textbook.
  6. Sutherland and Leathwick (2011) Anthelmintic resistance in nematode parasites of cattle: a global issue? Trends Parasitol. 27(4):176-81.
  7. Rendell et al. (2014), Anthelmintic resistance in cattle nematodes on 36 Victorian properties, Proceedings of the 28th World Buiatrics Congress 231–244.
  8. Cotter et al. (2015), Anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of beef cattle in south-west WA, Veterinary Parasitology 207, 276-284.
  9. Lyndal-Murphy et al. (2010) Reduced efficacy of ML treatments in controlling gastrointestinal nematode infections of weaner dairy calves in subtropical eastern Australia. Vet Parasitology. 168:146-150.
  10. Bullen et al. (2016), Anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes of dairy cattle in the Macalister District of Victoria, AVJ 94, 35-41. 11. George M et al. (2020) Production impacts and resistance of gastrointestinal parasites in feedlot cattle, MLA: B.FLT.3002.
  11. George M et al. (2020) Production impacts and resistance of gastrointestinal parasites in feedlot cattle, MLA: B.FLT.3002.
  12. Pritchard & Geary (2019) Perspectives on the utility of moxidectin for controlling parasitic nematodes in the face of developing anthelmintic resistance, International Journal for Parasitology-, 10:69-83.
  13. Ball and Gibbison (2021), Resistance Patterns to Avermectins and Milbemycins in Australian Cattle Nematodes, ACV Journal Dec 2021.

 

ostertagia

 

Vote for this content: 5 4 3 2 1

Related products