Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys
ABSTRACT: Feed conversion efficiency is among the most important factors affecting profitable production of poultry.Infections with parasitic nematodes can decrease efficiency of production, making parasite control through the use of anthelmintics an important component of health management. In rumi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Poultry Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121004582 |
| _version_ | 1818693269826043904 |
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| author | James B. Collins Brian Jordan Anand N. Vidyashankar Pablo Jimenez Castro Justin Fowler Ray M. Kaplan |
| author_facet | James B. Collins Brian Jordan Anand N. Vidyashankar Pablo Jimenez Castro Justin Fowler Ray M. Kaplan |
| author_sort | James B. Collins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT: Feed conversion efficiency is among the most important factors affecting profitable production of poultry.Infections with parasitic nematodes can decrease efficiency of production, making parasite control through the use of anthelmintics an important component of health management. In ruminants and horses, anthelmintic resistance is highly prevalent in many of the most important nematode species, which greatly impacts their control. Recently, we identified resistance to fenbendazole in an isolate of Ascaridia dissimilis, the most common intestinal helminth of turkeys. Using this drug-resistant isolate, we investigated the impact that failure to control infections has on weight gain and feed conversion in growing turkeys. Birds were infected on D 0 with either a fenbendazole-susceptible or -resistant isolate, and then half were treated with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Aquasol) at 4- and 8-wk postinfection. Feed intake and bird weight were measured for each pen weekly throughout the study, and feed conversion rate was calculated. Necropsy was performed on birds from each treatment group to assess worm burdens at wk 7 and 9 postinfection. In the birds infected with the susceptible isolate, fenbendazole-treated groups had significantly better feed conversion as compared to untreated groups. In contrast, there were no significant differences in feed conversion between the fenbendazole-treated and untreated groups in the birds infected with the resistant isolate. At both wk 7 and 9, worm burdens were significantly different between the treated and untreated birds infected with the drug-susceptible isolate, but not in the birds infected with the drug-resistant isolate. These significant effects on feed conversion were seen despite having a rather low worm establishment in the birds. Overall, these data indicate that A. dissimilis can produce significant reductions in feed conversion, and that failure of treatment due to the presence of fenbendazole-resistant worms can have a significant economic impact on turkey production. Furthermore, given the low worm burdens and an abbreviated grow out period of this study, the levels of production loss we measured may be an underestimate of the true impact that fenbendazole-resistant worms may have on a commercial operation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:11:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0b9a418cba7c4f948509aaa06014acca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0032-5791 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:11:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Poultry Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-0b9a418cba7c4f948509aaa06014acca2022-12-21T21:47:07ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912021-11-0110011101435Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeysJames B. Collins0Brian Jordan1Anand N. Vidyashankar2Pablo Jimenez Castro3Justin Fowler4Ray M. Kaplan5University of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Corresponding author:University of Georgia, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Poultry Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Athens, GA 30602, USAGeorge Mason University, Department of Statistics, Fairfax, VA 22030, USAUniversity of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USAUniversity of Georgia, Department of Poultry Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Athens, GA 30602, USAUniversity of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USAABSTRACT: Feed conversion efficiency is among the most important factors affecting profitable production of poultry.Infections with parasitic nematodes can decrease efficiency of production, making parasite control through the use of anthelmintics an important component of health management. In ruminants and horses, anthelmintic resistance is highly prevalent in many of the most important nematode species, which greatly impacts their control. Recently, we identified resistance to fenbendazole in an isolate of Ascaridia dissimilis, the most common intestinal helminth of turkeys. Using this drug-resistant isolate, we investigated the impact that failure to control infections has on weight gain and feed conversion in growing turkeys. Birds were infected on D 0 with either a fenbendazole-susceptible or -resistant isolate, and then half were treated with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Aquasol) at 4- and 8-wk postinfection. Feed intake and bird weight were measured for each pen weekly throughout the study, and feed conversion rate was calculated. Necropsy was performed on birds from each treatment group to assess worm burdens at wk 7 and 9 postinfection. In the birds infected with the susceptible isolate, fenbendazole-treated groups had significantly better feed conversion as compared to untreated groups. In contrast, there were no significant differences in feed conversion between the fenbendazole-treated and untreated groups in the birds infected with the resistant isolate. At both wk 7 and 9, worm burdens were significantly different between the treated and untreated birds infected with the drug-susceptible isolate, but not in the birds infected with the drug-resistant isolate. These significant effects on feed conversion were seen despite having a rather low worm establishment in the birds. Overall, these data indicate that A. dissimilis can produce significant reductions in feed conversion, and that failure of treatment due to the presence of fenbendazole-resistant worms can have a significant economic impact on turkey production. Furthermore, given the low worm burdens and an abbreviated grow out period of this study, the levels of production loss we measured may be an underestimate of the true impact that fenbendazole-resistant worms may have on a commercial operation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121004582Ascaridiabenzimidazolesanthelmintic resistancefeed conversionturkey |
| spellingShingle | James B. Collins Brian Jordan Anand N. Vidyashankar Pablo Jimenez Castro Justin Fowler Ray M. Kaplan Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys Poultry Science Ascaridia benzimidazoles anthelmintic resistance feed conversion turkey |
| title | Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys |
| title_full | Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys |
| title_fullStr | Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys |
| title_short | Impact of fenbendazole resistance in Ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys |
| title_sort | impact of fenbendazole resistance in ascaridia dissimilis on the economics of production in turkeys |
| topic | Ascaridia benzimidazoles anthelmintic resistance feed conversion turkey |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121004582 |
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