An Epidemiological Study of Hypoderma Infection and Control Using Ivermectin in Yaks in Qinghai Province, China

Abstract

The prevalence of Hypoderma spp. in yaks grazed in the east of Qinghai province was investigated in 2008. In this area, the prevalence in young yaks (1- to 3-year-old) was very high at 82.2–98.7%, whilst in adult yaks (4-year-old and older), the prevalence was 42.4–50.6%. The seasonal development and migration pattern of Hypoderma larvae in yak bodies was found to be similar for different locations in this area. The numbers of first, second and third instar larvae detected in yak bodies peaked in October, December and March, respectively. Different doses of ivermectin (125 to 500 µg/kg body weight) almost completely dewormed the larvae from yaks, suggesting that using a quarter of the prescribed dose (500 µg/kg body weight) was effective. In October of each year between 2009 and 2012, ivermectin (125 µg/kg body weight) was administered to a total of 562,995 yaks grazed in four counties in Qinghai province, and the pevalence of Hypoderma larval infection in yaks was reduced to 0.5–1.0%.