Livestock and avermectins in sub-Saharan Africa: a restricted systematic review of the impacts on productivity and documentation of resistance

Abstract

There is growing interest in using avermectins in livestock as a vector control tool for mosquitoes involved in the transmission of human malaria in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). If implemented, the potential health and productivity impacts across the livestock sector would need to be considered, as avermectins are already commonly used in veterinary medicine to treat gastrointestinal helminths and parasitic insects. Here we present the results of a restricted systematic review that summarizes what is known about the effects of avermectins on cattle and swine productivity in SSA and the presence of avermectin resistance in endo and ectoparasites of importance in these species. A total of 583 unique journal articles were identified using key search terms in three databases: Agriculture, Life, and Natural Sciences Databases from ProQuest, CAB Abstracts, and Scopus. Ten articles met the criteria for inclusion on impacts on productivity and four met the inclusion criteria related to avermectin resistance. All studies documenting impacts of avermectins on productivity were performed using ivermectin in cattle. Generally, these showed a positive significant effect on growth rates. Resistance to avermectins was documented in two of the four included articles. Considering the extensive literature documenting resistance to avermectins in other areas of the world, our findings may reflect a paucity of studies on the subject in SSA. The authors conclude that additional research is needed to quantify the potential benefits and challenges to the livestock sector of using avermectins for malaria control across different production systems, and in a variety of ecological settings.