Continuous feed medication with thiabendazole for the removal of Hymenolepis nana, Syphacia obvelata and Aspiculuris tetraptera in naturally infected mice.

Abstract

AbstractA medicated diet containing 0.3% thiabendazole fed continuously to 26 mice for 7 days removed 9 out of 11 (82%) Hymenolepis nana, (one tapeworm remaining in each of two mice), 17 out of 17 (100%) Syphacia obvelata and 8 out of 8 (100%) Aspiculuris tetraptera infections. By contrast in 26 non-treated mice 9 out of 10 Hymenolepis, 17 out of 18 Syphacia and 8 out of 8 Aspiculuris infections persisted through the 7 day treatment period, and at post mortem examination 38 Hymenolepsis, 1,562 Syphacia and 4,911 Aspiculuris worms were recovered. In a second experiment 100% removal of 23 Hymenolepis and 20 Syphacia infections was obtained after 14 days medication of 38 mice. High activity against both roundyvorms and tapeworms of mice was thus obtained using one single drug. Some unexplained deaths amongst inbred strain C3H/Hef Nimr mice occurred within seven day's of the continuous medication.