Efficacy of ivermectin in reducing gastrointestinal nematode fecal egg counts in goats in Burundi.

Cross-bred goats in Burundi infested with gastrointestinal nematodes were submitted to fecal investigations and injected subcutaneously with ivermectin. In Experiment 1, goats were treated with 200 mu g kg(-1) bw ivermectin. In Experiment 2, animals were administered twice that dose. In Experiment 3, goats suspected to be resistant to other anthelmintics were treated with 200 mu g kg(-1) bw ivermectin. In Experiment 4, two doses of the same strength were injected with an interval of 7 days. Results demonstrate that 200 mu g kg(-1) bw ivermectin is effective for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of goats in Burundi; this dosage is also effective against nematodes suspected to be resistant to other anthelmintics. The administration of 400 mu g kg(-1) bw did not induce greater or more prolonged effectiveness percentages. The supposed decrease of ivermectin's residual activity on Day 28 might be avoided by administering two doses with an interval of 7 days. No adverse effects were observed in treated animals