Field study on the determination of the effective dose of injectable fosfatriclaben prodrug in sheep naturally infected with Fasciola hepatica

The aim of the present study was to determine the effective dose of fosfatriclaben through a field study in sheep naturally infected with F. hepatica. Thirty crossbred sheep positive for fluke eggs were selected for inclusion in the trial. On day 0, 5 groups of 6 animals each were formed for treatments: group 1 (G1), G2, and G3 received fosfatriclaben at 4, 6, and 8 mg/kg/IM, respectively. G4 received triclabendazole at 10 mg/kg/PO, and G5 was the untreated control group. Fecal samples of the sheep were analyzed to count the number of fluke eggs to evaluate the percentage of egg reduction. Twenty-one days after treatment, all sheep were humanely euthanized to extract the flukes from the bile ducts. They were counted to assess the percentage of fluke reduction. Fosfatriclaben reduced fluke eggs by 99.6, 99.6, and 100% and flukes by 94.3, 100, and 100%, respectively. Triclabendazole reduced fluke eggs by 95.2% and flukes by 100%. The fosfatriclaben injectable prodrug showed a high fasciolicidal efficacy similar to triclabendazole, with advantages over its predecessor, since only half the dose as compared to triclabendazole was required to remove eggs and flukes in the sheep that were studied.