efficacy of garlic juice, copper oxide wire particles, and

©2012, Sheep & Goat Research Journal Sheep & Goat Research Journal, Volume 27, 2012 - November 19

Summary

Resistance of gastrointestinal nema-todes (GIN) to anthelmintics and a needfor nonchemical control of GIN necessi-tates investigation of alternative controlmethods. This study examined the effi-cacy of garlic juice (99.5 percent pure)(G), copper oxide wire particles(COWP), levamisole (L), moxidectin(M), a combination treatment of COWPand G (CG), and no treatment (C) forGIN control in lactating Boer x Kikodoes. Treatments were administered at d0 and the G treatment was repeatedevery 7 d throughout the 28 d study.Mixed-model procedures for repeatedmeasures were used to evaluate the effectof treatment and date of sampling on

fecal-egg counts (FEC), and percent-packed-cell volume (PCV). Larval cul-tures from fecal samples at d 0 containedH. contortus, but Telodorsagia and Tri-chostrongylus were the predominant par-asites. There was no difference (P >0.05) in FEC or PCV of does due toGIN-control method. The PCV wasgreater (P < 0.05) at d 0 (31.2 percent ±0.7 percent) when compared to d 7 (29.1percent ± 0.7 percent), d 14 (28.7 per-cent ± 1.1 percent), and d 21 (28.8 per-cent ± 0.8 percent). The PCV at d 28(23.5 percent ± 0.9 percent) was lower(P < 0.001) than all other sampling d.The FEC did not differ (P > 0.05) at d 0(756 eggs/g ± 414 eggs/g), d 7 (1349eggs/g ± 448 eggs/g), and d 14 (1782eggs/g ± 436 eggs/g). The FEC at d 21

(2259 eggs/g ± 464 eggs/g) was trending(P = 0.08) higher as compared to d 0.The FEC at d 28 (3935 eggs/g ± 449eggs/g) was greater (P < 0.05) than FECat all other sampling d. Trichostrongylusand Telodorsagia were the primary GINspecies and not H. contortus as is oftenassumed at the research and farm level.These data support determining whichGIN species are present in a goat herd atvarious times of the year and applying aninternal-parasite-management protocolaccordingly. Treatments used in thisstudy were not effective in controllingany of the GIN species present.

Key Words: Goat, Parasitism, Gar-lic, Copper Wire, Anthelmintic

Efficacy Of Garlic Juice, Copper Oxide Wire Particles,And Anthelmintics To Control Gastrointestinal

Nematodes In Goats

A. D. Courter1, T. K. Hutchens2, K. Andries2, J. E. Miller3, J. E. Tower1, and M. K. Neary1,4

1 Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

2 Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY

3 Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

4 Corresponding author: [email protected]; 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054

Volume 27, 2012 – November

Introduction

The small-ruminant industry hasrelied heavily on the use of conventionalanthelmintics to control gastrointestinalnematodes (GIN), resulting in increasedlevels of parasite resistance and a searchfor alternate methods of control. Somealternatives to traditional anthelminticsinclude pasture- and grazing-manage-ment techniques, feeding condensedtannins, dosing with copper oxide wireparticles (COWP), and garlic.

Some of the pasture- and grazing-management techniques include mixedspecies grazing (Marley et al., 2006) andpasture rotation (Barger et al. 1994).Min et al. (2004) concluded that sericealespedeza, a forage high in condensedtannins, effectively reduced fecal-eggproduction from GIN.

Several authors have reported usingcopper oxide wire particles (COWP) tocontrol GIN in small ruminants. Burkeet al. (2007) researched the effectivenessand safety of COWP in sheep using 0 g ,0.5 g, 0.75 g, 1 g, or 2 g boluses. It wasfound that administration of a 2 g boluswas effective in preventing a rise infecal-egg counts (FEC). Similarly, Soli etal. (2010) concluded that a 2 g COWPbolus administered to sheep and goatssignificantly reduced FEC comparedwith control 12 days after administra-tion. A later study by Burke et al. (2009)found conflicting results. That experi-ment involved the administration of a 1g COWP bolus in 90-d-old kids. Resultsshowed an increase in FEC over timeand no decrease due to COWP.

Garlic is thought to have anti-para-sitic, immune-boosting, and anti-helminthic properties (Schmidt, 1973;Guarrera, 1999). There have been con-flicting results in use of garlic to decreasethe parasitic load in small ruminants.Noon et al. (2003) showed reduced lev-els of Haemonchus contortus, when allgroups were treated with garlic on thelast week of the study. Although the datawere not statistically analyzed, somesmall-ruminant producers look to it tovalidate their use of garlic for GIN con-trol. In a later experiment, Wang et al.(2008) studied feeding Spanish wethersa hay-based diet for four weeks at main-tenance level of intake with or without 2percent of garlic powder. They reportedthat continual feeding of garlic powderreduced FEC. It was attributed to cell-

mediated immunity. In contrast, O’Brienet al. (2009) evaluated a single adminis-tration of 4.54 grams of garlic juice ingoats and found that a single dose of gar-lic juice was not effective in reducingFEC. In Burke et al. (2009), three treat-ment groups, garlic juice, garlic bulbs,and a water-dosed control were evalu-ated. Results from their study showedthat a one-time dosage of garlic juicetended to reduce the mean FEC com-pared to the control by d 7, but FECwere similar on d 14 regardless of treat-ment.

The objective of this experimentwas to determine the effectiveness ofgarlic alone, COWP, COWP and garlic,levamisole, and moxidectin against GINin Boer x Kiko goats. Fecal egg counts(FEC), percent-packed-cell volume(PCV), and fecal cultures were used asindicators of GIN parasitism.

Materials and Methods

The Purdue University AnimalCare and Use Committee (PACUC)reviewed and approved all experimentalprocedures used in this study. Theresearch was conducted at the PurdueUniversity Southern Indiana Agricul-ture Center (SIPAC) located nearDubois, Ind., U.S.A.

Mature (3- to 5-year-old) Boer xKiko cross does were used in a five-weekstudy (June - July 2010). Does kidded onpasture in May and were lactatingthroughout the study. Does were placedon the kidding pasture in late April. Thekidding pasture was predominately a for-age base of Kentucky 31 tall fescue (Fes-tuca arundinacea) and had been grazedconsistently by goats for the previousfive years. After kidding, does and kidswere then moved to a pasture containingpredominately annual ryegrass (Loliummultiflorum) from late May to early June(May 28, to June 4, 2010) which hadbeen grazed by goats the previous twosprings. The goats were then returned tothe Kentucky 31 tall fescue pasture justprior to the study (June 4, to June 8,2010). Does were grazed on these twopastures for a total of 50 days, of which42 of these days were on the fescue pas-ture. This amount of grazing time shouldhave resulted in ample opportunity fornatural infection of the goats by GIN. Asummary timeline of events follows:treat goats (June 9, 2010; d 0); graze fes-

cue pasture (d -4 to d 0); graze ryegrasspasture (d -11 to d -5); and graze fescuepasture (d -50 to d -12).

Once the study began, does werehoused in an open-sided, concrete-floored barn without access to pasture forthe duration of the study. A total mixedration of 2/3 soyhulls and 1/3 choppedhay was fed at a rate of 1.8 kg per day foreach doe. Does had access to clean waterand free-choice mineral.

Does (n = 8/treatment) wereassigned randomly by age and number ofkids to be treated (June 9, 2010) with 12ml of garlic juice (1:1 dilution with 6 ml99.3 percent formula Garlic Barrier and6 ml of water, according to label direc-tions), 2-gram copper oxide wire parti-cles (COWP), levamisole (12 mg/kgorally, moxidectin (0.2 mg/kginjectable), or a combination treatmentof garlic juice (1:1 dilution of 99.3 per-cent formula Garlic Barrier) and COWP(2-gram bolus). Dosages for levamisoleand moxidectin were administered inaccordance with the American Consor-tium for Small Ruminant Parasite Con-trol (ACSRPC) dosing guidelines. Alltreatments were administered once atthe beginning of the study on day 0. Thegarlic-treatment groups were dosedevery 7 d in order to further test thedecreased FEC results of the garlic-juice-treatment group as reported byBurke et al. (2009).

Blood was collected from the jugularvein weekly to determine packed-cell-volume (PCV). If PCV scores droppedbelow 18 percent, the animals wereremoved from the study. Fecal sampleswere collected per rectum every 7 d forfecal egg count (FEC) analysis by a mod-ified McMaster technique sensitive to 50eggs per gram (Whitlock, 1948). Extrafecal samples were collected on d 0, d 14,and d 28 for a pooled culture to recovernematode larvae analyzed at LouisianaState University. Larvae were recoveredfrom cultures using the Baermann proce-dure. On d 0 and d 28 does were weighedand a body condition score (BCS) wasdetermined using a system of 1 to 5, with1 being emaciated and 5 being obese.

Data were analyzed using repeatedmeasures by the mixed-models proce-dure of SAS 9.1 (SAS Institute, Inc.,Cary, N.C.). The mathematical modelused for PCV, FEC, BW, and BCSincluded treatment, day, and treatment-by-day interaction. FEC were log trans-

20 Sheep & Goat Research Journal, Volume 27, 2012 - November ©2012, Sheep & Goat Research Journal


formed and statistical inferences weremade on transformed data but untrans-formed means are presented. Differencesamong means were considered signifi-cant when P < 0.05.

Results and Discussion

An Indiana weather collection sta-tion, located at SIPAC, reported temper-ature and precipitation data to a

National Weather Service site located inLouisville, Kentucky. Results arereported in Figure 1 for two months priorto the study (April through May), whennatural GIN infection occurred. Com-pared to long term (30 years), tempera-tures in these months were slightlyhigher than the long term; and precipi-tation was slightly lower in April andslightly higher in May.

Doe BWT and BCS are presented inTable 1. There was no (P > 0.05) differ-ence between beginning and endingBWT or beginning and ending BCS dueto treatment.

Figure 2 illustrates the effect of d ofsampling and GIN treatment regimen onFEC. Treatment had no effect (P > 0.05)on FEC. Sampling d was significant (P <0.05) for FEC. The FEC did not differ (P> 0.05) at d 0 (756 eggs/g ± 414 eggs/g),d 7 (1349 eggs/g ± 448 eggs/g), and d 14(1782 eggs/g ± 436 eggs/g). The FEC atd 21 (2259 eggs/g ± 464 eggs/g) tended(P = 0.08) to be higher as compared to d0. The FEC at d 28 (3935 eggs/g ± 449eggs/g) was greater (P < 0.05) than FECat all other sampling days.

The PCV data are presented in Fig-ure 3. There was no difference (P >0.05) in PCV of does due to GIN-con-trol treatment. There was a (P < 0.05) deffect on PCV results from the does. ThePCV was greater (P < 0.05) at d 0 (31.2percent ± 0.7 percent) when comparedto d 7 (29.1 percent ± 0.7 percent), d 14(28.7 percent ± 1.1 percent), and d 21(28.8 percent ± 0.8 percent). The PCVat d 28 (23.5 percent ± 0.9 percent) waslower (P < 0.001) than all other sam-pling d.

Culture results at d 0 showed thatalthough H. contortus (Figure 4) waspresent, Telodorsagia and Trichostrongyluswere the predominant parasites (Figures

Figure 1. Temperature (A) and precipitation (B) data from the Louisville,Kentucky, National Weather Service at Southern Indiana Purdue AgriculturalCenter reported as monthly averages.

Table 1. Beginning and ending BWT and BCS for COWP, Control, COWP + Garlic, moxidectin, Garlic, and levamisole.

Beginning EndingTreatment BWT,kg SEM BCS1 SEM BWT,kg SEM BCS SEMCOWP 48.2 3.8 2.3 0.22 45.7 5.3 1.9 0.31Control 47.4 3.8 2.2 0.22 52.8 5.3 2.5 0.31COWP + Garlic 48.1 3.8 2.3 0.22 46.8 5.3 1.9 0.31Moxidectin 47.5 3.8 2.3 0.22 55.7 5.3 2.2 0.31Garlic 47.2 3.8 2.1 0.22 49.3 5.3 1.9 0.31Levamisole 47.6 3.8 2.2 0.22 47.4 5.3 1.5 0.31

1 BCS = 1 to 5; 1 being emaciated and 5 being obese

5 and 6, respectively). At d 28 H. con-tortus larvae was present at levels below1 percent.

The FEC increased over time acrossall treatments and was significantlygreater on d 28 due to ineffective controlof the Teladorsagia and Trichostrongyluspopulation. The increased numbers ofTeladorsagia and Trichostrongylus relativeto H. contortous may have been due tothe experiment being conducted in theearlier months of summer, with the 50 dinfective-grazing period ending in earlyJune. According to O’Connor et al.(2006), optimum temperatures for tri-chostrongylid parasites from unembry-onated egg to L3 stage were 16° C to 30°C for Telodorsagia, 22° C to 33° C for Tri-chostrongylus, and 25° C to 37° C for H.contortus. The temperature data revealedaverage temperatures of 15° C in Apriland 19° C in May at the study site, whenthe does were grazing and exposed to

GIN larvae. These lower environmentaltemperatures could have resulted in thegreater amounts of Trichostrongylus andTelodorsagia seen in the culture resultsrelative to H. contortus. It is clear fromthe culture results that the predominantegg-laying adults were Telodorsagia andTrichostrongylus, and not H. contortus.

The ineffectiveness of COWPagainst Telodorsagia and Trichostrongylusis in congruence with an experimentdone by Burke et al. (2006). Their studyshowed similar results with a sustained-release, multi-trace, copper-containingvitamin that was administered to doessix weeks before kidding (Burke et al.,2006). The proportion of Trichostrong-lyus from the culture data increased from23 percent to 55 percent, while the H.contortus population decreased (Burke etal., 2006). Chartier et al. (2000) con-curred, stating that Trichostrongylusappeared to be less affected by COWP

than H. contortus. Although the infections of Telador-

sagia and Trichostrongylus did notdecrease, Figure 4 shows that the COWPtreatment effectively decreased H. con-tortus 7 d after administration. Burke etal. (2007) used varying dosages ofCOWP from 0 grams to 2 grams andfound that 2 g of COWP was sufficientto reduce H. contortus.

Levamisole has been an effectivedewormer in this herd in the past. Afecal-egg-count-reduction test used inthe herd in 2009 showed 94 percent effi-cacy of levamisole, while moxidectinhad resistance issues at that time. Theresistance to levamisole in this study isnot fully understood.

Even though the PCV value of 23.5percent at d 28 was at the lower limits ofa normal range for a lactating doe, thereduction from 28.8 percent at d 21 indi-cated a modest effect of parasitic infec-tion on PCV. It is possible that lactationwas a source of variation in doe-PCVvalues. However, does at d 28 of thestudy, when the drop in PCV valuesoccurred, were in the last third of lacta-tion (90-d kid weaning age) and past thepeak lactation period. Doe BWT andBCS did not significantly decrease fromd 0 to d 28 of the study, indicating nutri-tion was adequate to support lactationdemands.

While lactation could have been afactor, PCV reduction from d 21 to d 28was more likely due to H. contortusinfection. Although the cultured larvaerevealed very low numbers of H. contor-tus, it is possible that the goats becameinfected with H. contortus late in thepre-grazing period due to lower thanoptimum environmental temperaturesfor H. contortus larvae development. IfH. contortus was acquired later in theinfective grazing period, then theincrease in infection was most likely dueto maturing larvae not affected by theinitial GIN-control treatments. The L4stage of H. contortus does not shed eggs,but does feed on the blood and can causeanemia. Once development of L4 toimmature adult H. contortus occurs, eggproduction doesn’t initiate for about 14d, which could explain the lack of H.contortus from the culture results.Anthelmintic treatments at the begin-ning of the study had no effect on theadult egg-laying Teladorsagia, Tri-


Figure 2. Least squared means and standard errors of fecal egg counts (FEC) ofewes treated with nothing (closed square), COWP (shaded square), levamisole(open square), garlic (closed circle), moxidectin (shaded circle), or COWP andgarlic (open circle) treated on d 0. There was a significant (P < 0.0001) dayeffect on FEC.

chostrongylus, and possibly the immaturelarval stages of H. contortus. The lack ofefficacy of treatment, particularly if H.contortus larvae were in an immaturedevelopment stage, could be a functionof timing of treatment and not the treat-ment itself. The garlic-alone treatmentwas continued every seven d, so timingof treatment would not have been a fac-tor in lack of control of GIN by garlic.

Conclusions

Garlic juice alone, garlic juice andCOWP, moxidectin, and levamisolewere not effective in controlling GIN inlactating goats as measured by FEC andPCV. COWP was not effective in con-trolling Trichostrongylus and Telodorsagia,but may have been effective against H.contortus. The predominant, egg-laying-GIN species in this study were Telador-sagia and Trichostrongylus and not H.contortus. PCV results indicated a H.contortus infection, but the cultureresults did not support this, possibly dueto the L4 or non-egg productive stage ofH. contortus. The fact that in this spe-cific research herd and during the spe-cific time period the study was performedTrichostrongylus and Telodorsagia werethe primary species and not H. contortus,has implications at the farm level and atresearch stations. These data support therecommended practice of determiningwhich GIN species are present in a goatherd at various times of the year andapplying an internal-parasite-manage-ment protocol accordingly.

Literature Cited

ACSRPC. 2006. Smart drenching andFAMACHA integrated training forsustainable control of gastrointesti-nal nematodes in small ruminants.Retrieved from http://www.scsrpc.org/FlashF/pdf/manual.pdf, May,2010.

Barger, L., K. Siale, D. Banks, and L. LeJambre. 1994. Rotational grazing forcontrol of gastrointestinal nematodesof goats in a wet tropical environ-ment. Vet. Parasitol. 53, 109-116.

Burke, J.M and J.E. Miller. 2006 controlof Haemonechus contortus in goatswith a sustainted-release multi-traceelement/vitamin ruminal bolus con-taining copper, Vet Parasitol. 141,132-137.


Figure 3. Packed cell volume (PCV) of ewes treated with nothing (closedsquare), COWP (shaded square), levamisole (open square), garlic (closed circle),moxidectin (shaded circle), or COWP and garlic (open circle) treated on d 0.There was a (P < 0.0001) day effect on PCV.

Figure 4. Fecal culture results with percentages of Haemonchus Contortus treatedon d 0 with nothing (control; closed square), COWP (shaded square), levamisole(open square), garlic (closed circle), moxidectin (shaded circle), or COWP andgarlic (open circle).

Burke, J.M., J.E. Miller, and T.H. Terrill,2009. Use of copper oxide wire parti-cles (COWP) to control gastroin-testinal nematodes in stressed lambsor kids. J. Anim. Sci. 87: E-Supple. 3.

Burke, J.M., A. Wells, P. Casey, andR.M. Kaplan, 2009. HerbalDewormer fails to control gastrointestinal nematodes in goats.Vet. Parasitol. 160, 168-170

Burke, J.M., A. Wells, P. Casey, and J.E.Miller. 2009. Garlic and Papaya lackcontrol over gastronintestinalnematodes in goats and Lambs. Vet.Parasitol. 159: 171-174

Burke, J.M., D. Morrical, and J.E. Miller,2007. Control of gastrointestinalnematodes with copper oxide wireparticles in a flock of lactating Poly-pay ewes and offspring in Iowa,USA. Vet Parisitol. 146, 372-275.

Chartier, C., E. Etter, H. Heste, I. Pors,C. Koch, and B. Dellac. 2000. Effi-cacy of copper oxide needles for thecontrol of nematode parasites indairy goats. Vet. Res. Commun. 24:389-399.

Guarrera, P.M. 1999. Traditionalanthelmintic, antiparasitic andrepellent uses of plants in CentralItaly. J. Ethnopharmacol. 68:183-192.

Marley, C., M. Fraser, D. Davies, M.Rees, J. Vale, and A. Forbes. 2006.The effect of mixed or sequentialgrazing of cattle and sheep on thefaecal egg counts and growth rates ofweaned lambs when treated withanthelmintics. Vet. Parasitol. 142:134-141.

Min, B.R., W. E. Pomroy, S.P. Hart, andT. Sahlu. 2004. The effect of short-term consumption of a forage con-taining condensed tanning on gas-tro-intestinal nematode parasiteinfection in grazing wether goats.Small Ruminant Res. 51: 279-283.

Noon, J., T. Settlemire, E. McCain, andM. Bukowski-Thall. 2003. A con-trolled experiment to measure the effectiveness on lambs of worm-ers that conform to the new organicstandards. Retrieved March 29,2011, from http://www.garlicbar-rier.com/2003_SARE_Report.html

O’Brien D.J., M.C. Gooden, N. C.Whitley, and S. Schoenian. 2009.Use of garlic as a potential naturaldewormer in small ruminants. J.Anim. Sci. 87: E-Supple. 3.


Figure 5. Fecal culture results with percentages of Telodorsagia treated on d 0with nothing (control; closed square), COWP (shaded square), levamisole (opensquare), garlic (closed circle), moxidectin (shaded circle), or COWP and garlic(open circle).

Figure 6. Fecal culture results with percentages of Trichostrongylus treated on d0 with nothing (control; closed square), COWP (shaded square), levamisole(open square), garlic (closed circle), moxidectin (shaded circle), or COWP andgarlic (open circle).

O’ Connor, L.J., S. W. Walkden-Brown,and L. P. Kahn. 2006. Ecology of thefree-living stages of major tri-chostrongylid parasites of sheep.Vet. Parisitol. 142: 1-15.

Schmidt, G.L., 1973. Garlic. More thanjust a taste. Food Technology NewZealand 8: 15–16.

Soli, F., T.H. Terrill, S.A. Shaik, W.R.Getz, J.E. Miller, M. Vanguru, andJ.M. Burke. 2010. Efficacy of copperoxide wire particles against gastroin-testinal nematodes in sheep andgoats. Vet. Parisitol. 168: 93.

Wang, Z. E. Loetz, A.L. Goetsch. S. P.Hart, and T. Sahlu. 2008. The effectof garlic on Haemonchus contortusinfection in goats. J. Anim. Sci. 86,E-Supple. 2.

Whitlock, H.V. 1948. Some modifica-tion of the McMaster helminth egg-counting technique apparatus. J.Counc. Sci. Res. 21: 177-180.


efficacy of garlic juice, copper oxide wire particles, and

Documents