Endoparasites are among the major obstacles posed to the development of small ruminants industry of Pakistan. A number of endoparasites are prevalent in Khyber Pakhtun Khwa province and district Malakand. Anthelmintic resistance(AR) is a very important emerging issue in the control of parasites. The current project was designed to study the point-prevalence of various gastro-intestinal parasites of goats in Kot Manzaray BaBa of Malakand Agency and to determine the presence of AR in the parasites prevalent there. Keeping in view the importance of small ruminants in our country and due to the routine use of dewormer, the present project has been designed to achieve our objective. For this purpose Eight Teddy goat farms were selected from different localities of Kot Manzari Baba District Malakand for studies on AR using faecal egg count reduction test and egg hatch test to further confirm the results of the FECRT. Information regarding flock management and worm control practices was collected through a well-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was filled out by 20 (each) goat farmers, quacks (traditional healers), qualified veterinarians and veterinary assistants through interviews and/or group discussions. Results revealed that majority of the goat flocks were found to have nematode populations resistant to oxfendazole and levamisole. None of the goats were found to have nematode populations resistant to ivermectin accept the Haemonchus contortus which showed a little bit indication of resistance in the study. Majority of the goat flocks were found to have nematode populations susceptible to ivermectin. The frequency of resistance was comparable among Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Teladorsagia circumcincta. Veterinary assistants look after for maximum number of flocks for their healthcare. Awareness level of the healthcare personnel about the parasitic diseases was the highest among veterinary
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officers and vice versa. People treat their animal on the basis of sign and symptoms and used modern anthelmintics and not on the basis of faecal examination. Among the anthelmintics, levamisole was found to be used most frequently followed by oxfendazole and ivermectin. Interestingly, in the field the veterinary assistants were the highest users of traditional dewormer in contrast to their training in modern medicine.
Low dosing/under-dosing had a main contributory role in the development and a tendency for the development of AR against all the anthelmintics included in the present study. In a year high treatment frequency had a associated contributory role in the development and tendency for the development of resistance against all the anthelmintics included in the present study. Combined or Mixed livestock farming, especially sheep and goats together, was contributive towards development of resistance against all the anthelmintics classes included in this study. None or partial rotation of pasture was also discovered to take part in the development of resistance against all the anthelmintics included in the study.
CONCLUSIONS
• There is a serious threat of either developed or a tendency for development of anthelmintic resistance against levamisole, oxfendazole and ivermectin in nematode populations of Teddy gaots in the study area.
• The factors that assist to the development of anthelmintic resistance in nematode populations of Teddy goat flocks recorded in the present study can be divided in to operational, inherited, and medicinal, which need to be addressed together as a part of a potent worm control program.
• The level of alertness, awareness and technical know-how is unsatisfactorily poor among all the farmers concerned in small ruminant farming. Therefore, there is no dewormer schedule for
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worm control practices in place at present, which describes a severe fear on the future of sheep and goats production on the one hand and permits an immediate attention on the problem of anthelmintic resistance on the other.
• A combined approach based on the application of plants extract with modern anthelmintics appear to be promising for the management of anthelmintic resistance in small ruminants.