The pattern of faecal egg output in lambs infected with a multiple resistant strain of Haemonchus contortus after treatment with albendazole.

Worm-free lambs (n = 6) were infected with 5,000 L3 of an ivermectin/benzimidazole/closantel resistant strain of Haemonchus contortus. On Day 21 post infection animals were allocated, according to worm egg counts, to 2 groups of 3 animals each and on Day 29 one group was treated with albendazole at 3.8 mg kg-1, while animals in the other group remained untreated as controls. All animals were slaughtered on Day 44 when the treated group was found to have 2,083 +/- 1,718 worms and the controls 2,783 +/- 633, a reduction of 25.2% in worm burdens. The pattern of egg output was monitored and it was found that 2 d after dosing, worm egg counts had been suppressed by 89% in the treated group; thereafter the egg counts increased, but never returned to the pretreatment levels and by Day 15 post treatment, they were still 41.1% lower in the treated group than in the controls.