Paromomycin sulfate is an effective treatment for balantidiasis in captive cynomolgus monkeys.

There are few effective antimicrobial agents against Balantidium coli infection. The effect of paromomycin sulfate (PS) against B. coli was confirmed in this study of 596 captive cynomolgus monkeys. In several trials, the minimum dose and duration of oral administration of PS were 25 mg/day for 5 + 5 days, with a 2-day withdrawal interval. To facilitate daily PS administration, pumpkin cakes supplemented with PS were made, which not only resulted in precise effects but also increased the efficiency of preparation and administration of PS by the animal care staff. No cysts or trophozoites were detected at 14 or 16 days after the last treatments. There were no obvious differences in blood and biochemical parameters between before and after administration of PS. These results indicate that PS is effective for elimination of B. coli without hematological side effects. These data could contribute to the control of microbiological pathogens during veterinary care and colony management in primate facilities.

Geophagy as a therapeutic mediator of endoparasitism in a free-ranging group of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Parasite levels were determined for 141 members of a naturally formed social group of rhesus macaques living under free-ranging conditions. Results indicate that group members harbor Trichuris trichiura, Balantidium coli, and large numbers of Strongyloides fuelleborni. Parasite counts decrease significantly with age in this population. Females have significantly fewer parasites than males and a significantly lower prevalence of multiple infections. There were no rank effects regarding parasitosis. While 89% of the animals examined are infected with one or more species of enteric parasite, the prevalence of diarrhea is negligible (2%). The low prevalence of diarrhea in the presence of high parasite loads may be due to the practice of geophagy, which is engaged in by 76% of group members. Soil eaten by these monkeys contains large amounts of kaolinitic clays. Kaolin-based pharmaceuticals (i.e. Kaopectate) are commonly used in human populations to treat diarrhea and intestinal upsets. The mechanical and pharmaceutical properties of the natural kaolinite-based clays may counteract the effects of parasitosis in this free-ranging population.

[Effects of Mebendazole and Cambendazole on enterohelminths in pigs]. / Ucinnost Mebendazolu a Cambendazolu na enterohelminty u prasat.

Mebendazole, administered at a dose of 30 mg active substance per 1 kg of feed, was found to have 100% effectiveness on Ascaris suum and Cambendazole, administered at a dose of 1.5 g per 1 kg of liver weight, showed the same effectiveness in the control of Ascaris suum and Oesophagostomum dentatum. The effectiveness of both drugs on Trichocephalus suis and Strongyloides ransomi was low. Mebendazole and Cambendazole can be recommended for mass dehelminthization of pigs in affected stocks. Helminthoovoscopical examination of sows and fattened pigs showed an 88.6% extensity of invasion in sows, and a 28.3% and 33.9% extensity in three- and five-month-old pigs, respectively. Coccidiosis was found in 51.4% of the sows and Balantidium coli had an occurrence rate of 80.7 to 98.2%.