Abstract
This study evaluated the efficacy of combination therapy of secnidazole-diminazene aceturate (SEC-DA) in late treatment of dogs experimentally infected with relapsing strain of Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Fifteen dogs were randomly assigned to 5 groups (A - E) of 3 per group. Group A (uninfected untreated), B (infected untreated), C (infected and treated with DA (3.5 mg/kg) IM stat), D (infected and treated with secnidazole (SEC) (100 mg/kg) orally for 5 days and DA (3.5 mg/kg) IM stat), E (infected and treated with SEC (200 mg/kg) orally for 5 days and DA (3.5 mg/kg) IM stat). Dogs were infected intraperitoneally with 5 x 105 trypanosomes and treatment started 14 days post-infection. Data on parasitaemia, hematology and rectal temperature were recorded. Parasitaemia cleared within 3 days in all the SEC-DA treated dogs and there was no relapse parasitaemia. Parasitaemia did not clear in DA monotherapy dogs. All the SEC-DA treated dogs showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher leucocyte counts, red blood cell count, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration and lower rectal temperature than DA monotherapy. It was, therefore, concluded that SEC-DA combination is therapeutically more efficacious than DA monotherapy in the late treatment of T.b. brucei infection in dogs.
Highlights
Canine trypanosomosis is a protozoan disease characterized by intermittent fever, progressive anemia, cachexia, anorexia, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, edema of the face and corneal opacity
Parasites were completely cleared from the blood of all the SEC-diminazene aceturate (DA) treated dogs by17 d.p.i. and confirmed by examination of the hematocrit buffy coats of the blood of the dogs, while DA monotherapy maintained a low grade parasitaemia from day 19 until day 30
Parasitaemia was not cleared in DA monotherapy group throughout the period of study as parasites were detectable in stained thin smears of blood of the treated dogs
Summary
Canine trypanosomosis is a protozoan disease characterized by intermittent fever, progressive anemia, cachexia, anorexia, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, edema of the face and corneal opacity. Untreated cases usually end in death (Eloy, Lucheis, 2009). The disease is caused by Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T. congolense and T. evansi in Africa, T. cruzi and T. evansi in South America and T. evansi in Asia (Eloy, Lucheis, 2009). Cruzi are zoonotic to man (Gomes et al, 2007). Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative organism of the human disease (Chagas disease) in South America (Rosypal et al, 2007). The drug of choice for canine trypanosomosis is diminazene aceturate (DA)
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