| Summary: | Parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) is a significant disease that affects small ruminant production. PGE is controlled exclusively by
chemical anthelmintics but restricted by anthelmintic resistance. Hence, dependence on anthelmintics needs to be reduced. This
study aimed to investigate the anthelmintic resistance status of a Dorper sheep farm while determining the phenotypic markers
of resistance to PGE. Sheep that met the criteria of the Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) were divided into a control
and four treatment groups of 11 to 13 animals per group. Faecal and blood samples at pre- and post-treatments were subjected
to faecal egg counts (FEC), faecal culture, packed cell volume (PCV) and peripheral eosinophil counts (PEC). The data were
analysed by Spearman rank correlation and two-way ANOVA. FECRT showed resistance towards albendazole, levamisole,
fenbendazole and ivermectin which was predominated by Haemonchus contortus. Significant negative correlations were
observed between FEC and PCV in control (r=-0.88, p<0.01), fenbendazole (r=-0.58, p<0.01) and ivermectin (r=-0.69, p<0.01)
groups. Significant positive correlations were detected between FEC and PEC in control (r=0.95, p<0.01) and levamisole
(r=0.56, p<0.01) groups. This study shows multiple anthelmintic resistance with promising resistant characteristics against PGE
among sheep.
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