Financial analysis of animal trypanosomiasis control using cypermethrin pour-on in Kenya

The financial impact of use of cypermethrin pour-on (Ectopor(R)) in control of animal trypanosomiosis was determined in a trial undertaken by the Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute (KETRI). This trial started in December 1990 and ended in February 1992. It was undertaken in two adjacent ranches in the coast province of Kenya. The trial site was in an area of high apparent density (AD) of tsetse flies, and at the start of the trial no cattle were kept in this area. Cypermethrin was applied fortnightly to the 1100 steers which were kept in pour-on ranch 'A' while another 100 steers were kept in control ranch 'B' to act as control sentinels. From the main pour-on group, 100 animals were identified as the pour-on sentinels and compared to the control sentinels which received no pour-on.Pour-on application led to a significant decrease in the tsetse AD in the pour-on ranch A to 90% of the initial AD in some areas. The animals treated with pour-on had a significantly higher mean packed-cell volume (PCV). The weekly prevalence of trypanosome infections in animals treated with pour-on was <4% with only one exception when it was <10%. In the control animals, the prevalence ranged between 10 and 50% (with a few exceptions when it was <10%). The incidence of tick-borne diseases was lower in the pour-on animals. The mean monthly weights of the pour-on animals was significantly higher, and at the end of the trial the pour-on animals had a mean weight gain of 136.70+/-16.7kg while the control animals had gained 97.16+/-22.6kg. The financial net return of using cypermethrin pour-on was positive and the financial rate of return of 122.6% indicated that use of the pour-on was highly beneficial despite the high cost of the product.