Best practice for avoiding and detecting anthelmintic resistance

Authors: Dobson R
Publication: Proceedings of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Annual Conferences, Volume 2014 AVA Annual Conference, Perth, Issue Industry / Sheep, May 2014
Publisher: Australian Veterinary Association

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Abstract: The steps required to choose an anthelmintic and then treat stock are explored here, i.e. what drug, to what stock, when and how to apply? The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) is the primary method for testing drug efficacy on an individual farm and the test needs to be conducted in such a way that the results are reliable. This includes data analysis to correctly estimate the efficacy and its 95% confidence limits (CL). It is critical to report the latter so that the precision of the drug efficacy estimate can be taken into account when interpreting the test outcome. The method used for determining the faecal egg count (FEC) as eggs per gram (epg) of faeces should be subject to continuous quality control assessment in the laboratory as the accuracy and precision of the FECRT is dependent on the FEC. Having determined what combinations of drugs are highly effective, they should be applied in such a way to avoid selecting for anthelmintic resistance.

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