Therapeutic efficacy of Dormectin, Ivermectin and Levamisole against different stages of Trichinella spiralis in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Three commonly used antihelmenthic drugs including Dormectin (0.2 mg/kg), Ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg) and Levamisole (7.5 mg/kg) were examined for their antihelmenthic efficacy against experimental Trichinella spiralis infection in rats. METHODS: One hundred and twenty rats were orally infected with 500 T. spiralis larvae. Drugs were tested against adult worms at 4th day, against migrating larvae at 10th days and against encysted larvae at 35th day post infection (dpi). Rats were sacrificed five days post treatment. Mature worms and migrating larvae counts were detected. RESULTS: Significant effect was detected in rats treated with Dormectin and Ivermectin compared to non-treated controls. Dormectin showed an efficacy of 97.75% and 86.23% in eliminating both mature worms and migrating larvae respectively. Ivermectin showed an efficacy of 94.99% and 83.85% respectively. However, Levamisole was the least effective drug; its efficacy was 4.83% and 3.57% against mature worms and migrating larvae respectively. CONCLUSION: All of the tested drugs failed to inhibit the encysted larvae in the diaphragms. Moreover, T. spiralis infection in rats reduced significantly the values of total proteins, and albumin while globulin, urea and creatinine values were significantly increased together with AST and ALT activities.

Saliva as an easy specimen for diagnosis of human and animal fascioliosis.

In the present study saliva was evaluated for detection of human and animal fascioliosis. Both saliva and serum samples were collected from 12 Fasciola infected patients, 17 cattles and 20 sheep harboring Fasciola eggs only in their faeces. Samples from negative non-infected hosts were also collected. Experimental infection by F. gigantica in rabbits was carried out for determination of the first time appearance of anti-F. gigantica antibodies (AFAb) and circulating F. gigantica antigen (CFAg). This was carried out by indirect and sandwich ELISA using purified antigen (26-28 KD) and monoclonal antibodies. AFAb were detected in saliva of naturally infected patients, cattles and sheep, the sensitivity of the assays reached 66.6%, 64.7% and 65% respectively, while the sensitivity using serum samples was 91.66, 94.11 & 100% respectively. In the contrary AFAb in saliva was more specific (100%) than that in serum as it was 100%, 92.0% and 96.0% in humans, cattle and sheep respectively. CFAg showed higher sensitivity in diagnosis using saliva in comparison with AFAb as it was 83.3, 76.47 & 85% in patients, cattles & sheep respectively. Similarly, the specificity of CFAg in saliva was higher than that recorded using serum samples as it was 100%, 96.0% and 96.0% in the three groups respectively. AFAb and CFAg were detected in serum of experimentally F. gigntica infected rabbits at the end of the first week post infection, and in saliva at the 15th and 18th day post infection. These data introduce saliva as an easily collected sample that can be used for diagnosis of zoonotic fascioliosis.