BioWorma® + Deccox®
Two studies were conducted by USDA ARS to determine if there is any antagonism between a commercial source of the fungus Dunningtonia flagrans (BioWorma®) and a coccidiostat (decoquinate; Deccox®).
Dunningtonia flagrans (BioWorma®) traps and kills worm larvae in the feces. It helps to prevent reinfection of pastures with infective worm larvae. Deccox® is a non-antibiotic feed additive that prevents coccidiosis in lambs. Similar to Haemonchus contortus, coccidiosis (Eimeria spp.) can be a significant problem on sheep and goat farms. Many producers feed Deccox® (or other coccidiostats) to prevent outbreaks of coccidiosis.
In the first study, weaned Katahdin lambs naturally infected with predominantly Haemonchus contortus were randomly divided into groups and fed diets with or without BioWorma®. In the second study, 7-month old anthelmintic-treated ram lambs were fed diets with or without decoquinate (Deccox®) and within diet, with or without BioWorma®. Fecal samples were collected and trapping structures were visually assessed.
In the first study, there was a 67 to 78% reduction in recovered larvae in lambs fed BioWorma® compared to the controls (not fed BioWorma®). In a second study, Dunningtonia flagrans was able to trap and kill the worm larave without an interaction from decoquinate. In this study, the reduction in larvae was between 60.2 and 73.5%.
The studies showed that the coccidiostat, decoquinate, can be added to the diet in the presence of BioWorma® without antagonism. This is an important finding since it is necessary to control both worms and coccidia.