Effectiveness of oral ivermectin, praziquantel, and fenbendazole against intestinal helminths in fighting birds.

The study's objective was to evaluate the in vivo effectiveness of the combination of ivermectin + praziquantel + fenbendazole (I+P+F) against intestinal nematodes and cestodes in fighting birds. Fecal samples were taken from 181 birds to estimate the frequency of intestinal helminths. For the evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy, the birds were randomly distributed into four groups (10-19 birds/group) according to the anthelmintic evaluated: ivermectin (0.4 mg/kg orally), praziquantel (10 mg/kg orally), fenbendazole (16 mg/kg orally), and the combination of I+P+F (ivermectin 0.4 mg/kg + praziquantel 10 mg/kg + fenbendazole 16 mg/kg, orally). The effectiveness of the treatments was measured on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 post-treatments (PT). Faecal samples were taken and analyzed using Centrifugal Flotation and McMaster techniques. Overall, 33.7 % (61/181) of the birds were positive for intestinal helminths, these being Heterakis spp. (68.8 %), Capillaria spp. (55.7 %), and Raillietina spp. (54.0 %). The ivermectin and fenbendazole groups showed efficacy of 86-100 % and 66-100 %, against nematodes, respectively. The praziquantel group presented 90-100 % effectiveness for controlling Raillietina spp. The combination of I+P+F showed anthelmintic efficacy (100 %) from seven to 21 days PT against Heterakis spp., Capillaria spp., and Raillietina spp. This formulation was more effective than the individual administration of the evaluated anthelmintics in naturally infected fighting birds.