Assessment of Anthelmintic Resistance of Fasciola spp. against Flunil-L ® and Fasinash®

Fasciolosis caused by Fasciola spp. is recognized to be one of the major problems affecting health and productivity of cattle in Bhutan. Various anthelmintic drugs are used to treat and control fascioliasis in the country among which, triclabendazole and oxyclozanide are the most common ones. These drugs have been used for a very long time in the country and possibility of development of resistance to these drugs is high. Also, limited studies had been carried out to test their efficacies in the country. Therefore, this study was done to determine the prevalence of fasciolosis in cattle in Maedwang gewog under Thimphu Dzongkhag and assess the status of resistance of Fasciola spp. to Fasinash® and Flunil-L® drugs. A total of 218 faecal samples were collected from cattle and subjected to parasitological test using standard sedimentation technique. The animals positive to Fasciola were treated with Fasinash® (triclabendazole bolus) and Flunil-L® (oxyclozanide+levamisole suspension). The faecal eggs were analyzed 14 days after the treatment by Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test and the efficacy was calculated. The overall prevalence of fasciolosis in the study was 32.11% with a prevalence of 28.80% in Namseling and 36.56% in Khasadrapchu. The mean faecal egg count (epg) of Fasciola spp. detected in Namseling was 0.65 ± 1.53 SD and in Khasadrapchu was 1.03 ± 2.07 SD. There was no significant difference in the mean faecal egg counts in the two chiwogs (p > .05 at 95% confidence level). The overall efficacy of Fasinash® was 86.96% and for Flunil-L ® was 91.38%. Significant difference was observed between pre-treatment and post-treatment in both the treatment groups (p < .05 at 95% confidence level). However, the study implies development of resistance of Fasciola spp. to triclabendazole in the study area.