The comparative efficacy of four broad spectrum anthelmintics against some experimentally induced trichostrongylid infections in sheep and goats

A controlled slaughter trial was undertaken to compare the efficacies of oxfendazole (5 mg/kg), morantel citrate (10 mg/kg), levamisole (8 mg/kg) and ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg) against experimentally induced infections of adult Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia spp., Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Cooperiacurticei in sheep and goats. Ivermectin and oxfendazole achieved similar levels of efficacy in both hosts against all four worm genera as did levamisole and mortantel against H. contortus and C. curticei. Against Ostertagia spp. and T. colubriformis, however, the latter two drugs were less effective in goats than sheep. Neither the numbers of Ostertagia spp. removed from goats by levamisole (81% reduction) nor the numbers of T. colubriformis removed from goats by morantel (56% reduction) were statistically significant (P>0.05).