Egg Count Reduction Research Articles

Hand Warmer-Induced Hypoxia Accelerates Pest Control in Hermetic Storage.

Accelerating oxygen depletion during hermetic storage can minimize pest damage and preserve product quality. This study evaluated the effectiveness of hand warmers in accelerating hypoxia to control insect pests inside hermetic containers. We used one, two, or four hand warmers to deplete oxygen in a 4-gallon hermetic jar with 4 kg of cowpea and cowpea bruchids, alongside a non-hermetic control with cowpea bruchids and no hand warmers. Oxygen levels, insect mortality, egg counts, seed moisture content, and germination rates were monitored over 2, 5, or 8 days of storage. Only the four hand warmers treatment reduced oxygen levels below 1% within 12 h and maintained them for up to 168 h. The other treatments did not achieve this level. Insect mortality was higher with more hand warmers and extended storage duration, reaching 100% after 5 and 8 days with four and two hand warmers, respectively. Similarly, increased hand warmers and extended storage durations reduced egg counts and adult emergence. The treatments did not affect the moisture content or germination rates of the stored cowpea seeds. Hand warmers proved effective in accelerating hypoxia during hermetic storage, resulting in high insect mortality and reduced reproduction, without compromising grain quality.

Integrated biological control of Diaspis echinocacti (Bouché) on Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill (Cactaceae) using predatory ladybirds and fungal pathogens

Diaspis echinocacti (Bouché) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) causes severe damage to Opuntia spp. (Cactaceae) worldwide, necessitating effective control measures. In this study, we tested the single and combined use of predatory ladybirds and a fungal pathogen on D. echinocacti infesting Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Plants under screenhouse conditions (mean 26.32 °C, 55.1% RH.). The treatments were: untreated control, 0.003% Tween 80 (TW), Chilocorus bipustulatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (CB) alone, Exochomus nigripennis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (EN) alone, entomopathogenic fungi Alternaria murispora (AM) alone, AM + CB, AM + EN, and mineral oil (MO) (positive control). Treatment efficacy was evaluated weekly for five weeks. AM + EN and AM + CB treatments significantly reduced egg counts to 4.89 and 2.44 by week 5, respectively. For motile stages, the AM + CB and AM + EN treatments were most effective, reducing counts to 6.89 and 9.56 by week 5. AM alone resulted in the highest number of mummies (D. echinocacti killed by A. murispora) (29.67) by week 5. For predator densities, C. bipustulatus peaked at 36.11 individuals per cladode by week 3 in the CB-only treatment, while E. nigripennis peaked at 32.33 individuals per cladode by week 3 in the EN-only treatment. Both CB and EN densities were higher in single treatments compared to the combined treatments throughout the study. Combining A. murispora with C. bipustulatus or E. nigripennis significantly reduced D. echinocacti infestations on O. ficus-indica without affecting plant quality (visual score >9 by week 5). Prolonged exposure enhanced efficacy, showing promise for effective non-chemical pest management.

Protective efficacy of short-term infection with Necator americanus hookworm larvae in healthy volunteers in the Netherlands: a single-centre, placebo-controlled, randomised, controlled, phase 1 trial

Vaccine development against hookworm is hampered by the absence of the development of protective immunity in populations repeatedly exposed to hookworm, limiting identification of mechanisms of protective immunity and new vaccine targets. Immunisation with attenuated larvae has proven effective in dogs and partial immunity has been achieved using an irradiated larvae model in healthy volunteers. We aimed to investigate the protective efficacy of immunisation with short-term larval infection against hookworm challenge. We did a single-centre, placebo-controlled, randomised, controlled, phase 1 trial at Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, Netherlands). Healthy volunteers (aged 18-45 years) were recruited using advertisements on social media and in publicly accessible areas. Volunteers were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive three short-term infections with 50 infectious Necator americanus third-stage filariform larvae (50L3) or placebo. Infection was abrogated with a 3-day course of albendazole 400 mg, 2 weeks after each exposure. Subsequently all volunteers were challenged with two doses of 50L3 at a 2-week interval. The primary endpoint was egg load (geometric mean per g faeces) measured weekly between weeks 12 and 16 after first challenge, assessed in the per-protocol population, which included all randomly assigned volunteers with available data on egg counts at week 12-16 after challenge. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03702530. Between Nov 8 and Dec 14, 2018, 26 volunteers were screened, of whom 23 enrolled in the trial. The first immunisation was conducted on Dec 18, 2018. 23 volunteers were randomly assigned (15 to the intervention group and eight to the placebo group). Egg load after challenge was lower in the intervention group than the placebo group (geometric mean 571 eggs per g [range 372-992] vs 873 eggs per g [268-1484]); however, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0·10). Five volunteers in the intervention group developed a severe skin rash, which was associated with 40% reduction in egg counts after challenge (geometric mean 742 eggs per g [range 268-1484] vs 441 eggs per g [range 380-520] after challenge; p=0·0025) and associated with higher peak IgG1 titres. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe a protective effect of short-term exposure to hookworm larvae and show an association with skin response, eosinophilic response, and IgG1. These findings could inform future hookworm vaccine development. Dioraphte Foundation.

Estimation of the impact of three different bioinformatic pipelines on sheep nemabiome analysis

BackgroundNext-generation sequencing (NGS) has provided an alternative strategy to study the composition of nematode communities with increased resolution and sensitivity. However, the handling and processing of gigabytes worth of amplicon sequence data produced by an NGS platform is still a major hurdle, limiting the use and adoption of faster and more convenient analysis software.MethodsIn total 32 paired, fecal samples from Swedish sheep flocks were cultured and the larvae subsequently harvested subjected to internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) amplicon sequencing using the PacBio platform. Samples were analyzed with three different bioinformatic pipelines, i.e. the DADA2, Mothur and SCATA pipelines, to determine species composition and richness.ResultsFor the the major species tested in this study (Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia circumcinta and Trichostrongylus colubriformis) neither relative abundances nor species diversity differed significantly between the three pipelines, effectively showing that all three analysis pipelines, although different in their approaches, yield nearly identical outcomes. In addition, the samples analyzed here had especially high frequencies of H. contortus (90–95% across the three pipelines) both before and after sample treatment, followed by T. circumcinta (3.5–4%). This shows that H. contortus is the parasite of primary importance in contemporary Swedish sheep farms struggling with anthelmintic resistance. Finally, although on average a significant reduction in egg counts was achieved post-treatment, no significant shifts in major species relative frequencies occurred, indicating highly rigid community structures at sheep farms where anthelmintic resistance has been reported.ConclusionsThe findings presented here further contribute to the development and application of NGS technology to study nemabiome compositions in sheep, in addition to expanding our understanding about the most recent changes in parasite species abundances from Swedish sheep farms struggling with anthelmintic resistance.Graphical

Population replacement of benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus with susceptible strains: evidence of changes in the resistance status.

The spread of anthelmintic resistance (AR) in nematode populations threatens the viability of sheep production systems worldwide, and warrants the adoption of sensitive, practical, and standardized tests to detect AR. The aim of this study was to characterize the replacement of an Haemonchus contortus population resistant to benzimidazoles (BZDs) by a susceptible one, by means of both phenotypic and genotypic techniques. Phenotypic methods to assess BZD resistance included in vivo tests, such as the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), and in vitro tests, such as the egg hatch assay (EHA). Additionally, genotypification of polymorphisms associated with BZD resistance by sequencing a fragment of the isotype 1 β-tubulin gene was carried out. The initial, BZD-resistant population (initial Balcarce population) exhibited an egg count reduction (ECR) of 59.3%. Following refugium replacement, the final population (final Balcarce population) exhibited an ECR of 95.2%. For the initial Balcarce population, the median effective dose (ED50) for the EHA was 0.607 μg thiabendazole (TBZ)/mL, with a rate of eclosion at a discriminating dose (EDD) of 0.1 μg TBZ/mL of 76.73%. For the final Balcarce population, ED50 was 0.02 μg TBZ/mL, and EDD was 1.97%. In the initial population, 93% of the analyzed individuals exhibited genotypic combinations associated with BZD resistance (53% Phe/Phe167-Tyr/Tyr200, 37% Phe/Tyr167-Phe/Tyr200, and 3% Phe/Tyr167-Glu/Leu198). Conversely, no combination associated with resistance was found in individuals from the final population. All of the tests were useful for detecting AR to BZDs. The results from the genetic and phenotypical studies were consistent, and the resulting information greatly aided in interpreting the outcomes of the population replacement and the potential impact of this strategy on management of AR.

Effects of Vernonia amygdalina methanol leaf extract and fractions on Ascaridia galli in experimentally infected birds with regard to its pathological effect

BackgroundHelminthiasis, usually a chronic problem in poultry, is the major cause of economic losses in the poultry industry. This study was undertaken with the aim of evaluating the in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic effects of Vernonia amygdalina methanol leaf extract and fractions on Ascaridia galli in experimentally infected birds. Standard protocols for extraction, phytochemical screening, isolation and infection of parasite and histological examination were followed.ResultAt 50 mg/ml albendazole (ALB) caused the highest inhibition of embryonation (97.3%) followed by crude methanol extract (CME) (94.5%), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) (81.3%) and butanol fraction (BF) (80.3%). The lowest faecal egg counts (FEC) and highest FEC at 21 days post-treatment were observed in the group treated with albendazole (99.2%) and CME at 800 mg/kg (96.9%). Deparasitization at 200 mg/kg caused by ALB was (93.8%), while at 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg, CME was (77.5%, 87.5% and 91.86%), BF was (75.51%, 79.61% and 85.73%) and EAF was (73.48%, 75.5% and 81.63%), respectively. At post-mortem, broiler chickens infected with A. galli and treated with CME, BF and EAF at 200 mg/kg had desquamation of the villi while at 400 and 800 mg/kg treatments, the intestines were intact.ConclusionThe extract and fractions of V. amygdalina were found to possess anthelmintic activity against A. galli due to the inhibition of embryonation of eggs and the reduction in faecal egg count; further research is required to fully ascertain their mechanism of action of the extract.

Use of FAMACHA to Detect Anaemia and Control of Gastrointestinal Parasite in Goats of A and N Islands, India

Background: FAffaMAlanCHArt (FAMACHA) is a technique for treating the animals infested with gastrointestinal parasites by using clinical anaemia as the determinant. The test is based on the assessment of colour variation of the conjunctival mucous membrane. Methods: In the present study FAMACHA has been standardized and used to correlate the anaemic status of goats with faecal egg count (gastro intestinal parasites) and blood profile. On the basis of FAMACHA score and faecal egg count, the goats were treated with benzimidazole compound and macrocyclic lactone. Result: The result indicated significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in the faecal egg count of Haemonchus spp from 1200±155.76 to 525±75, Strongyloides spp from 469.57±77.37 to 78.26±33.83 and Eimeria spp from 900±240.05 to 195.65±55.34 respectively. FAMACHA score of anaemic goats improved from 4.08±0.11 to 3.2±0.13. Mean haemoglobin (g/dl), packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) improved from 8.33 to 8.99, 22.66 to 24.86, 13.73 to 14.76 and 18029 to 19894, respectively which indicated clinical improvement. Highly significant (P less than 0.01) correlation was observed between the FAMACHA score and the haemoglobin level. It could be concluded that FAMACHA is a very handy tool to detect anaemic status of the animals and correlate with gastrointestinal parasitic load.

The efficacy of a single oral dose of albendazole against soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Ogun State, Nigeria

Soil Transmitted Helminths (STHs) are Neglected Tropical Diseases of global public health importance. This study evaluated the efficacy of albendazole (ALB) amongst primary school children aged 6 – 16 years in STH-endemic communities in Ogun State, Nigeria. Demographic characteristics were obtained and stool samples were collected and analysed by Kato-Katz at baseline and 15 and 21 days post-treatment. All study participants were treated with a single ALB 400 mg tablet. A total of 282 participants were screened at baseline, of which 151 were found to be excreting STH (51.4%) of which A. lumbricoides was the most prevalent STH (n = 137, 48.6%), followed by hookworm (n = 60 children, 21.3%) and T. trichiura (n = 3; 1.1%). The prevalence across the four schools varied from 31.3% to 73.9% for A. lumbricoides, from 6.8% to 56.3% for hookworm, and from 0.0% and 2.2% for T. trichiura infections. Of the 151 children excreting any STH infection at baseline, 131 (86.8%) provided a stool sample 15 and 21 days after treatment. The mean fecal egg counts across these complete cases at baseline was 5,096 (± 13,735) eggs per gram (EPG) for A. lumbricoides, 2,202 (±7,849) for hookworms and 288 (±375) for T. trichiura. Fifteen days after drug administration the therapeutic efficacy, measured as the reduction in mean fecal egg count (FEC) following drug administration (ERR), was 99.7% (95CI: 99.4-99.9) for A. lumbricoides and 69.2% (95CI: 28.7-92.8) for hookworms. The hookworm ERR at day 14 was reduced due to the continued high egg output of one highly infected individual. One week later, 21 days following drug administration, ERR for hookworm also reached satisfactory levels (99.4% (95CI: 98.7-99.8)). This study highlights that ALB still shows satisfactory efficacy to Ascaris and hookworm infections in Ogun State, Nigeria.

An adjuvant effect of Metformin as an anti-fibrotic agent when administered with the anti-schistosomal Praziquantel in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice.

Schistosomiasis is the second most common parasitic disease post Malaria around the world. Praziquantel (PZQ) is known as the most efficient anti- schistosomal drug but has no anti-fibrotic effect. Metformin (Met) is a well-known drug for type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate the role of Met as anti-schistosomal and anti-fibrotic agents alone or in combination with PZQ treatment. Forty male CD1 mice were divided into four groups (n=10 mice) as following; the first group (Gp1) was served as a negative control. Gp2, Gp3, Gp4, and Gp5 were infected with (60-80) S. mansoni cercariae. After a month of infection, Gp3 was administered orally with PZQ (500 mg/Kg) for 2 consecutive days. Gp4 was administered orally with Met (150 mg/Kg) for 15 consecutive days, and Gp5 was orally administered with PZQ followed by Met for 15 consecutive days at the same doses as in Gp 3 and 4. The results showed that PZQ had potent worms and egg reduction in liver and intestine tissues with no anti-fibrotic effect of the granuloma formation. However, Met or PZQ/Met treatment postinfection led to a reduction in egg count in both liver and intestine tissues with a significant reduction in granuloma site. Treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with Met or PZQ/Met ameliorated the hematological and biochemical alterations induced by S. mansoni infection. Collectively, Met has no anti-schistosomal activity but led to a reduction in egg deposition and showed an anti-fibrotic effect on granulomatous development either when used alone or in combination with PZQ treatment. This study shed light on the possible role of Met as an anti-fibrotic agent when administered with PZQ for S. mansoni infected humans.

Efficacy of milbemycin oxime/afoxolaner chewable tablets (NEXGARD SPECTRA\xae) against Capillaria aerophila and Capillaria boehmi in naturally infected dogs

BackgroundCapillaria aerophila and Capillaria boehmi parasitize the respiratory system of wild and domestic carnivores. Capillaria aerophila inhabits the trachea and bronchi of dogs and cats, while C. boehmi affects the nasal cavities and sinuses of dogs. In dogs the infection may be subclinical or characterized by varying respiratory distress.MethodsThe present study evaluated the efficacy of an oral formulation containing milbemycin oxime and afoxolaner (NEXGARD SPECTRA®) in dogs naturally infected with C. aerophila and/or C. boehmi from three enzootic areas of Italy. Dogs were enrolled pending fecal examination and molecular confirmation of respiratory capillarioses. Dogs were allocated in two groups: Group 1 (G1, 25 dogs), treated with a negative control product with no anthelmintic activity (afoxolaner, NEXGARD®), and Group 2 (G2, 26 dogs), treated with NEXGARD SPECTRA®. At the day of treatment administration (Day 0), all dogs were clinically examined. Dogs were again subjected to clinical and fecal examinations at Days 28 (± 4) and 56 (± 2). The primary criterion for treatment efficacy was the reduction of fecal Capillaria egg counts in G2 compared with G1. The regression of/recovery from baseline clinical signs was considered as a further efficacy criterion.ResultsPercentage reduction of fecal Capillaria egg counts in the NEXGARD SPECTRA® group compared to the control group was > 97% on Day 28 and 100% on Day 56, respectively (p < 0.05 for both time points). Twelve of the 13 dogs in the NEXGARD SPECTRA® group with respiratory signs prior to treatment were free of clinical signs at the end of the study. Conversely, the six control group dogs with respiratory signs prior to treatment remained symptomatic.ConclusionsResults of the present study showed that NEXGARD SPECTRA® was safe and highly efficacious in the reduction of C. aerophila and C. boehmi eggs after one treatment with a complete reduction of the egg output after the second administration associated with a recovery from respiratory signs.Graphical

In Vivo Anthelmintic Activity of Whole Plant Powder of Striga Hermonthica (Deli.) Benth

The fight against Gastro-Intestinal Nematodes is an urgent necessity for the sheep’s productivity improvement in Burkina Faso. The anthelmintic activity of S. hermonthica’s whole plant powder was evaluated on Mossi sheep artificially infested with H. contortus L3 larvae. The experiment lasted 21 days with 2 phases of 4 days of treatment separated by 6 days in station. Two (2) treated lots of 6 sheep each received respectively 17g/kg of body weight and 10g/kg of body weight while two (2) control lots of 6 sheep each, one negative without treatment and one positive treated with levamisole 1/2 bolus for 25 kg were constituted. The faecal egg count (FEC) reduction rate was high during treatment and reached 84.49% for the 17g/kg body weight dose and 83.69% for the 10g/kg body weight dose at D21. Statistical analysis shows no significant difference between the two doses tested and between the two doses and the positive control, whereas the difference is significant (P&lt;0.05) with the negative control. The mean hematocrit level ranged from 24 at D0 to 30.5 at D21 for the 17g/kg body weight treatment and from 25.83 at D0 to 31 at D21 for the 10g/kg body weight dose. The average daily gain (ADG) of the treated lots was not significant compared to the negative control (P&gt;0.05).

Chemical analyses and evaluation of the anthelmintic effects of Origanum majorana essential oil, in vitro and in vivo studies

Because of the development of resistance in helminths against major anthelmintic drugs, the search for alternatives is necessary. Medicinal plants are being studied as an alternative source of anthelmintics against gastrointestinal nematodes. The objective of this study is to analyse the chemical composition and evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of Origanum majorana essential oil. The determination of the chemical composition by gas chromatography/mass chromatography (GC/MS) revealed that the essential oil was dominated by terpenoids, particularly carvacrol (35.65%) and terpenic hydrocarbons p-cymene (15.82%). The in vitro anthelmintic effects against Haemonchus contortus were assessed by an egg hatch assay (EHA) and an adult worm motility assay (AWMA) compared with the reference drug albendazole. The essential oil showed ovicidal activity at all the tested concentrations (1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/ml) and more than 80% egg hatching inhibition was observed at the highest dose (8 mg/ml). Exposure to 0.5 mg/ml of the essential oil for eight hours induced a 50% inhibition in the worm motility. The in vivo study was performed on H. polygyrus by measuring the egg count reduction (ECR) and adult worm count reduction (AWCR) following the treatment of the animals with different doses (2 000, 4 000 and 5 000 mg/kg) of the plant essential oil, and 22 mg/kg of albendazole as the positive control. The results showed that 5 000 mg/kg of the essential oil inhibited the egg count and adult worm count by 76.3 and 74.0%, respectively, seven days post treatment. These findings support the possible use of O. majorana essential oil to control gastrointestinal nematodes.

Investigating Immunization With Nucleotide Enzymes of Schistosoma mansoni: Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase and Adenylosuccinate Lyase as New Antigenic Targets Against Schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma mansoni trematode worm, affects more than 1.5 million people in Brazil. The current treatment consists in the administration of Praziquantel, the only medicine used for treatment for more than 40 years. Some of the limitations of this drug consist in its inactivity against schistosomula and parasite eggs, the appearance of resistant strains and non-prevention against reinfection. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of immunization with recombinant functional enzymes of the purine salvage pathway of S. mansoni, Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase (NDPK) and Adenylosuccinate Lyase (ADSL), to evaluate the host immune response, as well as the parasite load after vaccination. For this, Balb/c mice were divided into 5 groups: control (uninfected and untreated), non-immunized/infected, NDPK infected, ADSL infected, and NDPK + ADSL infected. Immunized groups received three enzyme dosages, with a 15-day interval between each dose, and after 15 days of the last application the animals were infected with 80 cercariae of S. mansoni. On the 47th day after the infection, fecal eggs were counted and, on the 48th day after the infection, the evaluation of leukocyte response, parasite load, antibody production, cytokines quantification, and histopathological analysis were performed. The results showed that immunizations with NDPK, ADSL or NDPK + ADSL promoted a discreet reduction in eosinophil counts in lavage of peritoneal cavity. All immunized animals showed increased production and secretion of IgG1, IgG2a, and IgE antibodies. Increased production of IL-4 was observed in the group immunized with the combination of both enzymes (NDPK + ADSL). In addition, in all immunized groups there were reductions in egg counts in the liver and intestine, such as reductions in liver granulomas. Thus, we suggest that immunizations with these enzymes could contribute to the reduction of schistosomiasis transmission, besides being important in immunopathogenesis control of the disease.

New codon 198 \u03b2-tubulin polymorphisms in highly benzimidazole resistant Haemonchus contortus from goats in three different states in Sudan

BackgroundBenzimidazole (BZ) resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes is a worldwide problem for livestock production, particularly in small ruminants. Assignment of the emergence of resistance using sensitive and reliable methods is required to adopt the correct strategies for control. In Sudan, BZ resistant Haemonchus contortus populations were recently reported in goats in South Darfur. This study aimed to provide additional data regarding albendazole efficacy and to describe the prevailing molecular BZ resistance mechanisms.MethodsFaecal egg count reduction and egg hatch tests (EHT) were used to evaluate albendazole efficacy in three different areas of South Darfur using naturally (Rehed Al-Birdi and Tulus) and experimentally infected (Tulus and Um Dafuq) goats. Using samples from Central, East and South Darfur, pyro- and Sanger sequencing were used to detect the polymorphisms F167Y, E198A and F200Y in H. contortus isotype 1 β-tubulin in DNA extracted from pooled third-stage larval (L3) samples (n = 36) on days 0 and 10 during trials, and from pooled adult male H. contortus (treated goats, n = 14; abattoirs, n = 83) including samples from populations previously found to be resistant in South Darfur.ResultsAlbendazole efficacies at 5, 7.5 and 10 mg/kg doses were 73.5–90.2% on day 14 in natural and experimental infections while 12.5 mg/kg showed > 96.6% efficacy. EC50 in the EHT were 0.8 and 0.11 µg/ml thiabendazole in natural and experimental infection trials, respectively. PCRs detected Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Cooperia in L3 samples from albendazole-treated goats. Haemonchus contortus allele frequencies in codons 167 and 200 using pyrosequencing assays were ≤ 7.4% while codon 198 assays failed. Sanger sequencing revealed five novel polymorphisms at codon 198. Noteworthy, an E198L substitution was present in 82% of the samples (L3 and adults) including all post-treatment samples. Moreover, E198V, E198K and potentially E198I, and E198Stop were identified in a few samples.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first report of E198L in BZ resistant H. contortus and the second where this is the predominant genotype associated with resistance in any strongyle species. Since this variant cannot be quantified using pyrosequencing, the results highlight important limitations in the general applicability of pyrosequencing to quantify BZ resistance genotypes.

Field efficacy and safety of a novel oral chewable tablet containing sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel (Simparica Trio\u2122) against naturally acquired gastrointestinal nematode infections in dogs presented as veterinary patients in Europe and the USA

BackgroundGastrointestinal nematodes are parasites that commonly infect dogs, and infections can be subclinical or may cause considerable clinical disease. Some species are zoonotic and may also cause clinical disease in humans. Year-round treatment of dogs is recommended to eliminate existing infections, which also indirectly reduces the potential for subsequent human exposure to zoonotic species. Here we present two studies that evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel chewable oral tablet containing sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel against gastrointestinal nematode infections in dogs presented as veterinary patients in Europe and the USA.MethodsDogs naturally infected with Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Ancylostoma caninum and/or Uncinaria stenocephala were enrolled in the European study, and dogs naturally infected with T. canis were enrolled in the USA study. The animals were treated once orally with Simparica Trio™ tablets to provide 1.2–2.4 mg/kg sarolaner, 24–48 µg/kg moxidectin and 5–10 mg/kg pyrantel (as pamoate salt) or with a commercially available product according to the label directions as positive control. Efficacy was based on the post-treatment reduction in geometric mean egg counts (per gram feces) 7 or 10 days after treatment compared to pre-treatment egg counts.ResultsSimparica Trio™ was well tolerated in both studies. In the European study, geometric mean egg counts for T. canis, T. leonina, A. caninum and U. stenocephala were reduced by ≥ 98.3% in the Simparica Trio™ group and by ≥ 97.4% in the afoxolaner + milbemycin oxime group. In the USA study, geometric mean egg counts for T. canis were reduced by 99.2% in the Simparica Trio™ group and by 98.6% in the ivermectin + pyrantel group. In the USA study, 48 and 10 dogs in the Simparica Trio™ and the ivermectin + pyrantel group, respectively, were co-infected with A. caninum and the reduction in the post-treatment mean fecal egg counts were 98.6% and 74.7%, respectively.ConclusionsA single oral administration of Simparica Trio™ chewable tablets was well tolerated and was effective in the treatment of dogs with naturally occurring gastrointestinal nematode infections presented as veterinary patients in Europe and the USA.

Efficacy of Praziquantel Treatment for &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Schistosoma mansoni&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; Infection Among Children in Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Schistosomiasis is a chronic neglected tropical disease of poverty caused by blood dwelling trematodes of Schistosoma species. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the current drug of choice for the treatment of human schistosomiasis. The existence of Praziquantel resistance by Schistosoma species is a threat and an alarm for strict monitoring and periodic evaluation of its efficacy. Method: We searched PubMed, PubMed Center, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Google, Science Direct, MEDLINE and proceedings of a professional association to identify studies published in English and assessed the efficacy of Praziquantel against Schistosoma mansoni infection in children. Studies reporting the efficacy of Praziquantel in both adult and children as study participants and studies which investigated the efficacy of Praziquantel combined with other antischistosomal drugs were excluded. Result: Since there was significant heterogeneity, the random effect model was used. A total of 9 papers involving 1,412 participants, that assessed the cure rate and 8 papers that assessed egg reduction rate of Praziquantel were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled cure rate of Praziquantel was 86.65% with 95% CI; 83.4-93.9. There was high heterogeneity (I2=93.4%). Subgroup analysis showed slightly higher Cure rate of Praziquantel in Amhara regional state compared to Oromia regional state (88.58% vs 84.79%). The egg reduction rate was 87.95% and 99.85% using geometric and arithmetic mean of egg count respectively. The prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni decreased from 55.77% to 11.29% after administration of Praziquantel. Conclusion: According to the result of this review, standard dose of Praziquantel was effective against Schistosoma mansoni infection among children in Ethiopia. The cure rate of Praziquantel was slightly higher in Amhara regional state compared to Oromia regional state. The drug showed a great reduction in egg count and intensity of infection.

Anthelmintic activity of nanoencapsulated carvacryl acetate against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep and its toxicity in rodents.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of carvacryl acetate (CVA) and nanoencapsulated CVA (nCVA) on gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. The CVA was nanoencapsulated with chitosan/gum arabic and the efficacy of nanoencapsulation (EE), yield, zeta potential, nanoparticle morphology and release kinetics at pH 3 and 8 were analyzed. Acute and subchronic toxicity were evaluated in rodents and reduction of egg counts in the faeces (FECRT) of sheep. The sheep were divided into four groups (n = 10): G1, 250 mg/kg CVA; G2, 250 mg/kg nCVA; G3, polymer matrix and G4: 2.5 mg/kg monepantel. EE and nCVA yield were 65% and 57%, respectively. The morphology of the nanoparticles was spherical, size (810.6±286.7 nm), zeta potential in pH 3.2 (+18.3 mV) and the 50% release of CVA at pHs 3 and 8 occurred at 200 and 10 h, respectively. nCVA showed LD50 of 2,609 mg/kg. CVA, nCVA and monepantel reduced the number of eggs per gram of faeces (epg) by 57.7%, 51.1% and 97.7%, respectively. The epg of sheep treated with CVA and nCVA did not differ from the negative control (P>0.05). Nanoencapsulation reduced the toxicity of CVA; however, nCVA and CVA presented similar results in the FECRT.

Multiple resistance in equine cyathostomins: a case study from military establishments in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Semi-intensive equine breeding system favors gastrointestinal nematode infections. The treatment of these infections is based on the use of anthelmintics. However, the inappropriate use of these drugs has led to parasitic resistance to the available active principles. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the main classes of antiparasitic (ATP) used in control in adult and young animals, including: benzimidazoles (fenbendazole), pyrimidines (pyrantel pamoate), macrocyclic lactones (ivermectin and moxidectin), as well as the combination of active ingredients (ivermectin + pyrantel pamoate). The study was carried out in two military establishments, located in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), from January to December, 2018. The intervals between the treatments of the animals were performed from 30 to 90 days. Coproparasitological evaluations were determined by the egg count reduction in the faeces. Cyatostomine larvae were identified in pre and post-treatment cultures. The results demonstrated the multiple parasitic resistance of cyathostomins to fenbendazole, moxidectin in young animals, and to fenbendazole, pyrantel pamoate in adult animals. Thus, it is necessary to define or diagnose parasitic resistance to assist in the creation of prophylactic parasitic control, using suppressive treatment with ATP associated with integrated alternatives. The progress of parasitic resistance can be slowed.

Comparative study of efficacy of commercial anthelmintic response against gastrointestinal nematodes in goats of Jhenidah district, Bangladesh

Background: Parasitic disease constitutes 60-70% diseases affecting the animals and has serious economic implication in livestock entrepreneurship by direct and indirect production loss. Indiscriminate use of anthelmintic drugs has made the situation even more precarious. A similar problem was encountered in goat from Holidhani, Jhenidah, where goats with complain of intermittent diarrhea and loss of body condition was reported despite of routine deworming.Objective:Â Determining the efficacy of conventional anthelmintics used and its comparison with some unexploited antiparasitic drugs for the same reason.Methods: Sixty-five goats were divided into five groups. Group A goats were kept as the control, Group B (I, II, III), group C (IV, V, VI), group D (VII, VIII, IX) and group E (X, XI, XII) goats were treated with levamisole, albendazole, fenbendazole and ivermectin respectively. All the treated and control goats were kept, housed for 21 days after the first treatment. Fecal samples were collected and counted on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day by using McMaster counting method.Results: Among the three doses of levamisole, albendazole, fenbendazole and ivermectin, the doses of 7.5, 7.5, 5.0 and 0.2 mg/kg body weight, body weight were found to be most effective against gastrointestinal nematodes in goats with a maximum reduction of fecal egg count to the extent of 95.38, 97.13, 98.08 &amp; 99.16 percent respectively.Conclusion: The study revealed low efficacy of levamisole and hence ivermectin is a better drug than albendazole and fenbendazole to control gastrointestinal nematodes in goats.Â

The Use of Anthelmintics in the Treatmenlt of Ascariasis

Ninety-seven children with Ascariasis were treated at randomly with Piperazine, Tetramisole, and Pyrantel pamoate in a single dose with cure rates of 59%, 62%, and 88%, respectively. In the children who were not cured, a reduction in egg count of nearly 80% was found in all three treatment groups. The results of this study showed that Pyrantel pamoate is the most effective of the three drugs.