Restrictions of anthelmintic usage: perspectives and potential consequences.
Abstract: Given the increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance in equine parasites, parasitologists now recommend traditional treatment approaches to be abandoned and replaced by more sustainable strategies. It is of crucial importance to facilitate veterinary involvement to ensure that treatment decisions are based on parasitic knowledge. Despite recommendations given for the past two decades, strategies based on the selective therapy principle have not yet been implemented on a larger scale in equine establishments. In contrast, treatment regimens appear to be derived from recommendations originally given in 1966. The province of Quebec in Canada, and an increasing number of European countries, have implemented prescription-only restrictions on anthelmintic drugs. Denmark introduced this legislation ten years ago, and some evidence has been generated describing potential consequences. It is without dispute that Danish veterinarians are now deeply involved with parasite management in equine establishments. However, little is known about the impact on levels of anthelmintic resistance and the risk of parasitic disease under these circumstances. In addition, the legislation makes huge demands on diagnosis and parasite surveillance. No data have been published evaluating fecal egg count techniques and larval culture methods as clinical diagnostic tools, and very little is known about potential correlations with actual worm burdens. This article provides a general review of anthelmintic strategies currently used in equine establishments and outlines the recommendations now given for parasite control. Preliminary experience with prescription-only restrictions in Denmark is presented and current research needs to further evaluate this approach are discussed.
Publication Date: 2009-09-25 PubMed ID: 19778468PubMed Central: PMC2751843DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-2-S2-S7Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Anthelmintic Resistance
- Anthelmintic Treatment
- Disease control
- Disease Management
- Disease Prevention
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Treatment
- Drug
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Fecal Egg Count
- Herd Management
- Horse Management
- Parasites
- Public Health
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
Summary
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This research article discusses the growing resistance to anthelmintic drugs in equine parasites and the need to implement a more sustainable strategy for treatment which is based on parasitic knowledge. It also highlights the role of legislation and veterinary involvement and discusses the case of Denmark which legislated prescription-only restrictions for anthelmintic drugs.
Background: Anthelmintic Resistance & Current Strategies
- The study starts with an alarm about the burgeoning resistance to anthelmintic medication in equine parasites.
- Parasitologists are advocating for the abandonment of traditional treatment methods and the inclusion of more sustainable strategic methods.
- The reluctance to move away from traditional treatment methods, dating back to as far as 1966, is highlighted.
- The paper argues for an increased role of veterinarians in parasite management to ensure decisions are made based on an understanding of parasites.
Effects of Prescription-Only Restrictions
- The paper goes on to discuss how Quebec in Canada and some European countries have moved towards prescription-only restrictions for anthelmintic medications, which makes the role of veterinarians in parasite management even more significant.
- The case of Denmark, which enforced this legislation a decade ago, is examined. Danish veterinarians are noted to be heavily involved in parasite management now, but the study acknowledges that not much is known about the impact this has had on levels of anthelmintic resistance and parasitic diseases.
- One challenge outlined is the heavy demands placed on diagnosis and parasite surveillance due to this legislation.
Diagnostic Challenges and Future Research Needs
- The study details a lack of evaluation data for fecal egg count techniques and larval culture methods as diagnostic tools and discusses the unknown correlations between these tests and actual worm burdens.
- Current research needs are discussed; the paper suggests that surprisingly little is known about the effectiveness of these diagnostic tools in the face of the prescription-only restrictions.
Summary
- In conclusion, this paper reviews the current strategies used for the control of equine parasites, discusses the changes brought about by prescription-only legislation, and underscores the importance of veterinary intervention and further research into effective diagnostic tools and treatment methods.
Cite This Article
APA
Nielsen MK.
(2009).
Restrictions of anthelmintic usage: perspectives and potential consequences.
Parasit Vectors, 2 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), S7.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-2-S2-S7 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. mkn@life.ku.dk.
References
This article includes 68 references
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