May 2020 presentation about BioWorma, the fungus that traps and kills worm larvae in manure of livestock. Webinar presentation by Chris Lawlor from International Animal Health.

2. WHAT IS IT?
Duddingtonia flagrans
A natural strain of fungus isolated from the
environment, found around the world, with application
as a biological control for larvae of parasitic
nematodes of grazing animals.

3. WHY DO WE NEED IT?
Duddingtonia flagrans
• Resistance to anthelmintics is getting worse all the time
• Need for reduced reliance on chemicals to control worms.
• Emergence of integrated parasite management (IPM)
programs.

4. HOW DO WE USE IT?
Duddingtonia flagrans
• Firstly complete Faecal Egg Count (FEC)
• Based on FEC results, treat the animals with an effective
chemical wormer/anthelmintic
• Move animals onto low-worm pasture
• Administer D. flagrans in daily rations

5. HOW DOES IT WORK?
Duddingtonia flagrans
• By feeding a supplement containing inert fungal spores
which pass into the manure, having no effect within the
animal.
• Breaks the parasites’ life cycle by trapping, paralysing and
consuming infective larvae within the animal’s manure.
• Equally-effective against resistant parasites

6. • D. flagrans is a natural organism isolated in Australia by
CSIRO in early 1990’s
• Products are safe for animals, people and the environment
• Products are palatable, easy to use and have good shelf
life.
Duddingtonia flagrans

7. Duddingtonia flagrans spore

8. Duddingtonia flagrans
Trapping network

9. Duddingtonia flagrans
8 hours post capture

10. Duddingtonia flagrans
48 hours post capture

11. Livamol® is the ideal delivery vehicle for BioWorma®, providing a
nutritious base of proteins, energy plus added vitamins and minerals which
are important for the development and maintenance of immunity of young,
growing and grazing animals.
Animals receiving adequate feed, maintaining good condition through good
nutrition are better able to cope with parasitism and this has a positive
impact on their resistance and resilience to worms.

12. CATTLE TRIALS

13. GOAT
TRIALS

14. SHEEP TRIALS

15. Commercially, the most important roundworms/nematodes for
cattle, sheep & goats are:
• Haemonchus spp. - No.1 in the world and occurs in warm and moist regions,
mostly mixed infections and occurs globally
• Teladorsagia (Ostertagia) spp. - No.1 in the world in temperate climates, mostly
mixed infections and occurs globally
• Trichostrongylus spp. - Mostly in mixed infections, globally
• Nematodirus spp. - Mainly temperate climate, mostly mixed infections, globally
• Cooperia spp. - Mainly in warm and moist regions, mostly mixed infections, globally
Mixed infections = several worm species, as above infecting the host animal at
the same time.

16. HORSE
TRIALS

17. Commercially, the most important roundworms/nematodes
for horses are:
•Cyathostomins (small strongyles (small red worms or cyathostomes) - No.1 problem in horses
worldwide. Mostly in mixed infections.
•Parascaris equorum. Ascarids - A serious problem, particularly for young animals, globally.
•Strongylus spp. - One of the most harmful parasites of horses. Mostly in mixed infections.
•Strongyloides westeri - A serious threat for young foals, mainly in warm and moist regions,
globally.
•Trichostrongylus axei - A serious problem worldwide, particularly for young animals.
•Habronema spp. - Can be regionally quite important. Found globally.
Mixed infections = several worm species as above infecting the host animal at
the same time.

18. EXOTIC
ANIMALS
Slides courtesy
Dr Jim Miller
(LSU) & Dr
Deidre Fontenot
(DAK)

19. ZOO ANIMALS
(a happy customer)

20. Duddingtonia flagrans reduces the number of gastrointestinal
nematodes (GIN) larvae on pasture, which is significantly
greater than a chemical wormer can do within the animal
(overall averages below):
84%
HORSES
81%
CATTLE
86%
GOATS
68%
SHEEP

21. There is widespread chemical resistance and
multi-resistance in production animals (sheep, cattle & goats)
including:
Haemonchus (Barber’s Pole or wire worm),
Teladorsagia (Brown stomach worm),
Trichlostronglus (Black Scour or Hair worm),
Cooperia spp. (Intestinal Worm),
Nematodirus (Thread-necked Worm)

22. The extent of resistance is best documented in production animals and a
recent survey of sheep in Australia (Playford et al., 2014) found widespread
resistance in the common sheep parasites (Teladorsagia,Trichostrongylus
and Haemonchus) to broad-spectrum anthelmintics:
96% prevalence for benzimidazoles
96% prevalence for levamisole
87% prevalence for ivermectin
77% prevalence for abamectin
54% prevalence for moxidectin

23. Study published by Meat & Livestock Australia Limited
(Lane et al., 2015) estimates the total losses per annum due
to internal parasites:
• Sheep $A436 million ($US327m/$EU305m) with production losses ranging from $1.29 - $28.29
per animal
• Cattle $A93.6 million ($US70m/$EU66m) with production losses ranging from $0.44 - $3.59 per
animal
• Goats $A2.54 million ($US1.9m/$EU1.8m) with production losses ranging from $0 - $5.34 per
animal
Separately there is no production loss data for horses but the estimated annual costs of worming
ranges from $A15.00 - $120.00 per animal.

24. Did you know: It has been estimated 10% of
the parasite population is within the host animal
vs 90% is on the pasture.
http://www.wormboss.com.au/tests-tools/management-tools/drench-resistance/using-refugia-to-prolong-drench-life.php
Duddingtonia flagrans

25. • If 10% of worms are within the animal and a wormer is
95% (?) effective: 10 x 0.95% = 9.5% reduction
• If 90% worms are on pasture and Df is 70% effective:
90% x 0.70 = 63% (7 times more) via manure
Duddingtonia flagrans

26. The Duddingtonia project
THINGS WE’VE HAD TO CONSIDER (Overnight success)
 Optimisation of spore production:
 Dosage & delivery:
 Product formulation & manufacturing:
 Shelf life studies:
 Efficacy trials (GCP):
 Safety studies in target animals (GCP):
 Residue studies (GLP) and exposure models:
 DNA fingerprinting and genome:
 Culture collection lodgement:
 Toxicology studies in lab animals (GLP):
 Physical testing (GLP):
 Environmental safety:
 Intellectual Property:
 Submission to Regulators
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
ONGOING

27. Active Constituents: Each gram contains:
a minimum of 500,0000 chlamydospores
Daily feeding rates: 6g/100kg bodyweight
USA 0.1 oz/each 100lbs bodyweight
Available: Veterinarians, Premixers and
Feedmills
Withholding periods: Meat & Milk: 0 days
Packsizes: 2kg,7.5kg,15kg, 25kg
USA – 15lbs and 30lbs pails

28. Active Constituents: Each gram contains: a
minimum of 30,000 chlamydospores
Daily feeding rates: 100g/100kg bodyweight
USA 1.6 oz/each 100lbs bodyweight
Available: Stores & End users (farmers etc)
Withholding periods: Meat & Milk: 0 days
Packsizes: 7.5kg and 15kg pails
USA – 15lbs and 30lbs pails

29. 1.Treat animals with a suitable oral, injectable, or pour-on
wormer/anthelmintic to rid the animals of worms, then
begin administration of BioWorma®.
2. Move the treated animals onto low worm pasture (that
is, pasture that has not been grazed by the same animal
species for a minimum of 6 weeks).
3. The most worm-susceptible are young animals (from 3
months up to 18-24 months of age) and periparturient
females (last month of pregnancy and while producing
milk), as they are the most likely to have less resistance to
worm infestation due to low immunity. Do not
underestimate pasture contamination by adult stock, even
animals with low fecal egg counts (FECs), considering the
volume of fecal material adult stock place on pasture.
4. Thoroughly mix BioWorma® with feed, feed
supplements, premixes or concentrates, and commence
daily administration of the resultant mixture to minimize
pasture infectivity and maintain the low worm status of the
animals.

30. 5. BioWorma® will begin to work within the first day and
may be fed continuously when warm, moist climatic
conditions are conducive to parasitic nematode activity.
6. BioWorma® is for use during periods when conditions
are conducive to larval development and transmission
onto pasture at temperatures above 40° Fahrenheit (5°
Celsius).
7. Use BioWorma® in conjunction with the specified
worm management strategy for your area by contacting
your Veterinarian, Animal Health Advisor or Government
Advisory groups for a strategic Integrated Parasite
Management (IPM) plan. It is important to consider the
principles of refugia.
8. Periodically check the worm burden and monitor the
effectiveness of the worm management system. Options
include fecal egg counts (FECs), the fecal egg count
reduction test (FECRT) and/or identifying worm species
by using fecal larval cultures (FLCs). Re-treatment with
an effective chemical wormer may be indicated (consult
your Veterinarian).

31. More Information:
www.bioworma.com