Dung dispersal and grazing area following treatment of horses with a single dose of ivermectin.
Abstract: Environmental consequences of treating horses with recommended dosages of ivermectin paste were studied in two controlled experiments with 29 horses in Ohio. In 1988, dung dispersal rates were measured by changes in dry weight over time of 48 copromes (300 g) formed from feces taken from four treatment and four control horses 3 days post ivermectin treatment. There was delayed dispersal of copromes from horses treated with ivermectin in June, resulting in significantly heavier ivermectin copromes compared with those of control horses by September. There was no difference in ivermectin or control copromes after treatment in August. In 1989, the effects of treating horses with oral ivermectin or oxibendazole compared with untreated controls were quantified in a study with 21 horses under natural grazing conditions after treatment on 7 June. Sequential measurements of dung pat circumferences from 20 June 1989 to 7 March 1990 showed highly significant differences between ivermectin and control pats and between ivermectin and oxibendazole pats. Reductions in mean dung pat diameters did not occur in ivermectin pats until 11 October, when there was a 4.1% reduction compared with 35.1% for control pats and 37.2% for oxibendazole pats. By the end of the study, there was a 24.7% reduction in ivermectin pats compared with 59.1% and 59.9% for control and oxibendazole pats respectively. In addition, there were significantly more pats showing complete dispersal in oxibendazole or control plots than in ivermectin plots. The calculated grazing area lost to feces was three times greater for ivermectin plots than for oxibendazole or control plots. It is suggested that environmental effects of the avermectins can be reduced by more rational use of anthelmintics.
Publication Date: 1993-06-01 PubMed ID: 8346636DOI: 10.1016/0304-4017(93)90158-jGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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The study investigates the environmental impact of treating horses with the recommended dosage of ivermectin, focusing on the effect on dung dispersal rates and grazing areas. Results indicate a delayed dung dispersal and increased grazing area loss when horses were treated with ivermectin.
Experiment Design and Methodology
- The research involved two controlled experiments, conducted in Ohio, with 29 horses in total.
- In 1988, the researchers measured dung dispersal rates by tracking the changes in dry weight over time of dung piles, or copromes, collected from four treated and four control horses three days post ivermectin treatment.
- In 1989, the team compared the effects of treating horses with oral ivermectin or oxibendazole to untreated controls. This part of the study encompassed 21 horses under natural grazing conditions, with measurements taken periodically from June to the following March. They measured dung pat circumferences to assess differences in dispersal rates.
Key Findings
- Results showed a delay in the dispersal of dung piles from horses treated with ivermectin in June, leading to significantly heavier ivermectin copromes compared to control horses by September. No difference was observed following the treatment in August.
- In the 1989 study, data indicated significant differences in dung pat diameters between horses treated with ivermectin and untreated and oxibendazole-treated horses.
- Reductions in mean dung pat diameters did not occur for ivermectin dung pats until October, and even then, the reduction was significantly less than the reduction for control and oxibendazole dung pats.
- By the end of the study, there was a 24.7% reduction in ivermectin dung pats, lower than the reductions seen in untreated (59.1%) and oxibendazole-treated (59.9%) horses.
- Horses treated with ivermectin had significantly more dung pats showing complete dispersal in oxibendazole or control plots than in ivermectin plots.
Implications and Conclusions
- These findings suggest that treating horses with ivermectin leads to delayed dung dispersal and greater grazing area loss, which have potential implications for pasture management and environmental health.
- It is hypothesized that the environmental effects associated with ivermectin treatments could potentially be mitigated by more rational use of anthelmintics, thereby reducing the drug’s negative impact on both individual horse health and the overall ecosystem balance.
Cite This Article
APA
Herd RP, Stinner BR, Purrington FF.
(1993).
Dung dispersal and grazing area following treatment of horses with a single dose of ivermectin.
Vet Parasitol, 48(1-4), 229-240.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4017(93)90158-j Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus 43210.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
- Anthelmintics / toxicity
- Arthropods / physiology
- Benzimidazoles / therapeutic use
- Benzimidazoles / toxicity
- Biodegradation, Environmental
- Feces / chemistry
- Feces / parasitology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Ivermectin / therapeutic use
- Ivermectin / toxicity
- Ointments
- Parasitic Diseases / prevention & control
- Parasitic Diseases, Animal
- Random Allocation
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Lumaret JP, Errouissi F, Floate K, Römbke J, Wardhaugh K. A review on the toxicity and non-target effects of macrocyclic lactones in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2012 May;13(6):1004-60.
- Cobb R, Boeckh A. Moxidectin: a review of chemistry, pharmacokinetics and use in horses. Parasit Vectors 2009 Sep 25;2 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S5.
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