The efficacy of flubendazole against different developmental stages of the poultry roundworm Ascaridia galli in laying hens

Abstract

Infection with the poultry roundworm Ascaridia galli has increased in European countries due to the ban on battery cages. This study was conducted in two commercial laying hen flocks (F1 & F2) on different farms in central Sweden. The aims were to (1) investigate the efficacy of flubendazole (FLBZ, 1.43 mg/kg administered in drinking water for 7 days) against adult and larval stages including histotrophic larvae of A. galli, and (2) determine how long it took before the flocks were reinfected after deworming. Accordingly, 180 randomly selected hens were sacrificed before drug administration (bd), on day 3 and 7 during drug administration (dd), and on a weekly basis for up to five weeks post drug administration (pd). Intestinal contents and cloacal materials of each hen plus pooled faecal samples from manure belts were investigated to assess the worm burden and the parasite egg per gram faeces (epg). Additionally, drinking water, and serum and gastrointestinal digesta content samples obtained from ten treated animals were analyzed by HPLC to measure FLBZ and its reduced (R-FLBZ) and hydrolyzed (H-FLBZ) metabolites. No parasite eggs were observed in cloacal samples on day 21 and 28 pd on F1 and on day 21 pd on F2. The epg in manure decreased by 65% and 88% on day 3 dd and by 99% and 97% on day 35 pd on F1 and F2 respectively. Mean FLBZ concentrations quantified in duodenal contents ranged between 0.50 and 0.79 μg/g. Although, no histotrophic larvae were found dd, they reappeared one week pd (± 7 F1, 0.5 ± 0.5 F2). Adult worms were found in both flocks before drug administration (44 ± 20 F1, 35 ± 25 F2), on day 3 dd (± 3 F1, 2 ± 2 F2), and then not until day 35 (0.2 ± 0.6) on F1 and day 28 (0.4 ± 0.9) pd on F2. Thus, the only period in which no A. galli were found was on day 7 dd. Although FLBZ was highly efficient our results indicate that the birds were reinfected already within one week pd.