Evaluation of the effect of ivermectin administered topically at zero and six weeks after turnout on gastrointestinal nematode infection in first-season grazing cattle.

A field study was conducted between May and October 1995 to examine the efficacy of 0.5 mg/kg ivermectin pour-on on parasitic gastroenteritis of set-stocked calves at turnout and 6 weeks later. A treated group of 10 calves was compared with a separately grazed group of 10 non-treated calves; 14 calves were used as tracer animals. Initial infection levels appeared to be very low in both groups and faecal egg counts, pasture larval counts, serum pepsinogen levels and optical density (OD) values of an ELISA with a specific recombinant antigen for Cooperia oncophora remained low for 4 months. Thereafter, a rapid build up of gastrointestinal nematode infections occurred in both groups.