The nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans reduces the gastrointestinal parasitic nematode larvae population in faeces of orally treated calves maintained under tropical conditions—Dose/response assessment

This research assessed the dose/response to Duddingtonia flagrans chlamydospores (Df-C) administered to calves naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs), and its effect in reducing the infective larvae (L3) population in faeces in a farm in the Mexican tropics. Forty zebu calves, between 6 and 12 months of age, were randomly distributed into four groups of 10 calves. One control and three groups treated with different oral doses of Df-C based on their body weight (BW) were established as follows: group 1 (control); group 2, 0.250 × 106Df-C per kg/BW; group 3, 0.5 × 106Df-C per kg/BW and group 4, 1 × 106Df-C per kg/BW. The fungal doses were administered daily for 10 days. Every group was confined to individual pens, and they received a nutritional regime based on Buffel grass, concentrated supplement and water ad libitum. Every third day, starting one week before treatments, faeces were taken from the rectum of each animal to determine the number of eggs per g of faeces (epg) through the McMaster technique. Four coprocultures of 20 g each from each individual faecal sample were prepared and incubated for 14 days. The efficacy of the treatments was based on the mean of the GIN L3 recovered from coprocultures of the different groups. Data were analysed using a completely randomized design through an ANOVA analysis, followed by a Duncan multiple range test. The efficacy of treatments was expressed as the larval reduction rate. High variation in the epg in the different groups along the experiment was recorded. The reduction in the GIN L3 population was observed from the 4 to 11 day post-treatment in the three assessed doses. Results in group 2 (lowest fungal dose), showed 88.5, 57.6, 55.9 and 30% (58% overall reductions) in the GIN L3 in the faeces of animals 4, 7, 9 and 11 days post-treatment, respectively. In group 3 (medium fungal dose), 95.8, 80.4, 63.4 and 52.7% GIN L3 reductions (73% overall reduction) were recorded, respectively. At the highest Df-C dose used (1 × 106 per kg/BW), the results were 88.9, 78.0, 59.3 and 67.3% (73.5% overall reduction), respectively (p < 0.05). The species of identified nematodes through L3 morphometric and molecular taxonomy were Cooperia spp. and H. contortus. From the three Df-C assessed doses, the medium dose (0.5 × 106Df-C per kg/BW) was sufficient to substantially reduce the GIN L3 in zebu calves maintained under conditions in the Mexican tropics.