Efficacy of Four Anthelmintics in Trichostrongylus axei or T. colubriformis Infections in the Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus

Abstract

Evaluating materials for potential utility as anthelmintic agents requires a suitable hostparasite system. It is most desirable to evaluate test materials in the target animal against the target parasite. This is often impossible because of the size of the host animal and limited, initial supplies of test materials. Several alternative anthelmintic screening models using mice, rats, or rabbits with naturally occurring parasites have been proposed (Standen, 1963, In Experimental Chemotherapy, Vol. 1, J. R. Schnitzer and F. Hawking (eds.) Academic Press, New York, pp. 701892). Additional models using rabbits or gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) infected with Trichostrongylus axei or T. colubriformis have been reported (Leland, 1963, J. Parasitol. 47: 19; Herlich, 1976, Vet. Parasitol. 2: 383-387). Kates and Thompson (1967, Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 34: 228-236) verified previous work in gerbils reporting efficacy of thiabendazole and ruelene against T. colubriformis. The studies reported herein were designed to evaluate four anthelmintic compounds in T. axei-gerbil and T. colubriformis-gerbil models.