Monitoring Anthelmintic Treatment Outcomes in Livestock Farms in Cross River State, South South Nigeria: A Professional Management Perspective

Systematic monitoring of anthelmintic treatment outcomes is a professional management imperative for sustainable parasite control in livestock production, enabling the early detection of treatment failure, resistance development, and the need for drug rotation. This study monitors anthelmintic treatment outcomes in commercial and smallholder livestock farms in Cross River State, South South Nigeria. A prospective cohort design was employed, enrolling 300 cattle, sheep, and goats from 30 farms across Calabar South, Boki, and Etung Local Government Areas. Pre-treatment faecal egg counts were performed using the McMaster technique, and anthelmintic treatment was administered at farm-recommended doses. Post-treatment egg counts were conducted at 14 days to calculate the faecal egg count reduction percentage as an indicator of treatment efficacy. Farm management data including drug history, dosing practices, pasture rotation, and stocking density were recorded. Evidence from 2020 to 2024 documents emerging anthelmintic resistance across Nigerian livestock systems, with benzimidazole and levamisole resistance confirmed in Haemonchus contortus isolates from southern states. This study provides farm-level efficacy data and identifies resistance-associated management practices. Recommendations will be submitted to the Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture and the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association for development of evidence-based anthelmintic stewardship guidelines. Keywords: anthelmintic treatment, faecal egg count, livestock farms, Cross River State, resistance monitoring.