
158
Use of biooc technology nn the production / Gregorio, J. y col.
INTRODUCTION
Both, internal (gastrointestinal, pulmonary, hepatic, hematic,etc.) 
and external (ticks, ies,  lice, mites, etc.) cause  high economic 
losses to cattle industry worldwide.
 
Bovine (Bos taurus) trypanosomosis in Africa (caused  mainly 
by Trypanosoma vivax (T. vivax) and Trypanosoma congolense), 
only  in  the Tse-Tse  y  belt,  causes  losses  estimated  in  United 
States of America (USA) $ 4,75 billions/year (yr) [18]. In Colombia 
[5],  where  the  disease  is  endemic  in  regions  like  Inter Andean 
Valleys, Middle Magdalena, Caribbean Coast and Eastern Plains 
[6], several studies conrm the economic importance of the disea-
se. Betancourt and Wells [8] recall an episode of trypanosomosis 
in  a  dairy  in  the  Cauca  Valley  where  losses  went  up  to  USA$ 
5,654. Studies conducted in the State of Cordoba in 1996 found 
that, in three months, calves infected with T. vivax, gained an ave-
rage of 6.0 kg less than non infected calves [1, 34].
Gastrointestinal worms severely aect the productivity of cattle 
ranches, since it produces anorexia, loss of blood and plasmatic 
proteins, lung damage, metabolic disturbance, diarrhea, and re-
tarded growth [14, 40].
In  South America,  the  control  of  bovine  trypanosomosis  has 
been based for many years on diminazene aceturate and, more 
recently on isometamidium chloride [11,12].. Both compounds are 
of common use also in Africa [24, 25, 29] and are marketed as 
single molecules. Control of gastrointestinal parasitism (GIP) is 
mainly done with benzimidazol derivatives (albendazol, fenben-
dazol and others), imidazotiazols (levamisol, tetramizol), macro-
ciclic lactones (Ivermectinas, milbemicines), organophosphates 
(haloxon, triclorfon). All of them are also sold as single molecules. 
[13, 27, 33].
The colombian veterinary market does not have a compound 
containing both, isometamidium and ivermectin. Such a product 
would be useful, considering that a high worm burden produces 
immunodepression and could complicate a trypanosomosis clini-
cal episode. Reveex Laboratory has developed a mixed product 
containing both drugs. It is expected that the product, while con-
trolling gastrointestinal parasitism, favors the preventive and cu-
rative eect on trypanosomes. The present work was conducted 
to evaluate the ecacy of isometamidium and ivermectin combi-
nation, on the control of mixed infections by gastrointestinal para-
sites (GIP) and T. vivax in cattle.
 
Trypanosomosis
Bovine trypanosomosis  produced by T. vivax is known in Co-
lombia since 1931 [37, 49] and it is considered endemic in regions 
like: the Atlantic Coast, Cauca and Magdalena River Valleys and 
the Eastern Planes [6, 22, 34, 46] in warm zones and under 1500 
meters above  sea  level  (m.a.s.l).  Recently the presence  of  the 
parasite was reported in cattle in Antioquia, at 2.486 m.a.s.l. [50]. 
The disease has a strong economic impact due to abortions, 
anaemia, reduction  of milk yield  and  control costs.  [ 3, 4,  8, 9, 
16, 34, 47].
Gastrointestinal parasites
Most known nematode genera have been reported in associa-
tion with GIP in cattle in Colombia. In the Eastern Planes, Coope-
ria, Haemonchus, Ostertagia, Oesophagostomum, Trichostron-
gylus, Trichuris, Bunostomum, Capillaria, Agriostomum, Toxocara 
and Mecistocirrus have been found by dierent workers [32, 35, 
39, 44]. In the Atlantic Coast, the genera Strongyloides, Toxoca-
ra, Cooperia, Haemonchus, Mecistocirrus, Oesophagostomum, 
Bunostomum, and Ostertagia have  been registered in Cordoba 
State and the genera Strongyloides, Haemonchus, and Trichos-
trongylus in Cesar State [36, 41].
In  the  Middle  Magdalena  the  genera  Strongyloides,  Coope-
ria, Ostertagia, Haemonchus, Oesophagostomum, Trichostron-
gylus and Bunostomum have also been found [13]. Another stu-
dy conducted in Santander State, found that the most common 
nematodes infecting bovine in the García Rovira Province were 
Toxocara, Cooperia, Haemonchus, Ostertagia, Nematodirus and 
Trichostrongylus [38].
Generally speaking, GIP is more prevalent and severe in young 
calves. Villar and Arguelles [43], found the highest counts of eggs 
in faeces in calves 105 to 130 days (d). Some genera, like To-
xocara and Strongyloides, are more common in younger calves 
[41, 44]. 
As for anthelmintics used in controlling GIP worms in bovine, 
studies in a milk producing area of Boyacá, found that Albendazol 
was the most commonly used (30%) [47], followed by ivermectin 
(14%)  and  levamisol  (7%)  [33]. Another  work  reported  the  oral 
use of 1% diatomaea sands as anthelmintic for cattle and repor-
ted 84 and 100% reduction in egg per gram (epg) of faeces count 
on  d  90  and  135,  respectively  [28]. Marquez  et al.  [30],  repor-
ted anthelmintic resistance in 25% of the farms examined at the 
Altiplano Cundiboyacense region. Resistance to albendazol and 
ivermectin was reported on 17 and 8% of these farms, respecti-
vely. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was  conducted at  the Román Gómez Farm of  the 
Jaime Isaza Cadavid Polytechnic in Marinilla, Antioquia located 
at 6º11’47” North; 75º 20´ 0” West.
The drug tested: The Hemoveex
®
 (Reveex Laboratories, Vene-
zuela), compound tested on its trypanocidal and anthelmintic e-
cacy, is an association of isometamidium chlorhidrate 2,4% and 
ivermectin 2,0%. Ivermectin is an endectocide known for over 30 
years.  It  works  by  stimulating  the  presynaptic  GABA  relaxation 
with the  resultant blockage  of the nervous  impulse in  the post-