Investigations on effects of copper sulfate on endoparasites and metabolism in goat children

Goats are susceptible to parasite infestations but must graze under organic farming regulations. The frequent use of deworming medication can lead to an increased incidence of resistance. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of moderate copper supplementation in various forms (copper oxide wire particles, copper nitrate, copper sulfate) on goats over weeks to months with regard to parasite activity and metabolic stress. However, no publications exist on the effects of higher doses of copper sulfate on either parasite activity or metabolism in goat kids. Continuous feeding of small amounts of copper sulfate over a longer period appears to have no effect on parasites, but prolonged administration seems to have a negative impact on the animals.
This experiment aims to determine:
1. whether the short-term oral administration of copper sulfate at two different higher concentrations leads to a detectable effect against parasites in goat kids.
2: Whether and, if so, how strong the effect of short-term oral administration of copper sulfate is on the mucous membranes, metabolism, and health of the goat kids.
3: How much of the administered copper is excreted back into the environment via feces/urine.
After artificial infection of the male, castrated goat kids with infectious third-stage larvae of Haemonchus contortus (2000 larvae per day for 3 days), the animals are divided into three groups according to the results of the parasitological egg shedding (mean-based). Two experimental groups will receive oral administration of copper sulfate at two different concentrations: a high concentration of 40% (20 ml daily for 3 days, 2.6 g) or a low concentration of 20% (20 ml daily for 3 days, 1.3 g). The control group will receive the same amount of water (20 ml daily for 3 days, 0 g) as the experimental group.
Treatment success will be monitored by determining the fecal egg count and counting parasites in the abomasum. Potential effects of oral copper sulfate administration on the liver, mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, and metabolism will be assessed through histological examinations and blood tests. Copper excretion in feces/urine will be determined by measuring the copper content in the feces and urine, respectively.

Project Objectives:
The frequent use of deworming medication can lead to resistance. Due to their less developed immunity to parasites, goats are much more susceptible than cattle. Therefore, pasture management is considerably more difficult to implement than with cattle. Previous in-vitro studies have shown that copper sulfate has an inhibitory effect on the development of parasitic eggs. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of moderate copper supplementation in various forms (copper oxide wire particles, copper nitrate, copper sulfate) over weeks to months on goats with regard to parasite activity and metabolic stress. However, there are no publications on the effects of higher doses of short-term copper sulfate administration on either parasite activity or metabolism in goat kids. Continuous feeding of moderate amounts of copper sulfate over a longer period showed no effect on parasites, but prolonged administration had a negative impact on the animals.

The aim of this experiment is to determine:
1. whether short-term oral administration of copper sulfate over 3 days at higher concentrations (20 ml of a 20% and 40% CuSO4 solution) leads to a detectable effect against parasites in goat kids (4-6 months old).
2. whether, and if so, how strong the effect of this oral administration of copper sulfate is on the mucous membranes (rumen, abomasum, small intestine), metabolism, and health of the goat kids.
3. how much of the administered copper is excreted into the environment via feces or urine.

In this study, weaned goat kids are artificially infected with infectious third-stage larvae of Haemonchus contortus (2,000 larvae per animal on three consecutive days) and, after 5-6 weeks, are divided into three experimental groups based on egg shedding (mean value based): 2 experimental groups (two different concentrations of copper sulfate) and one control group.

This experiment aims to assess the effect on parasite activity (egg excretion, parasite count in the abomasum), on the animal's metabolism (blood tests, especially liver-specific parameters and hematocrit), and on the pathway of copper in the animal (copper levels in abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, liver, kidney, histological examinations of these organs), as well as on the excretion of copper (feces, urine).

Practical Relevance:
The demand for alternatives to parasite control remains high. Previous studies have shown that supplementing feed with specific additives can influence parasite activity, but practical
implementation recommendations are still lacking, and the extent of the effect has been far too small.
These fundamental studies are being conducted on goat kids to investigate the effect of higher doses of short-term oral administration of copper sulfate at varying concentrations on parasites and the animals themselves. If the results are positive, further studies with lactating goats would be conceivable.