title: [Babesia divergens: activity of long-acting oxytetracycline in the gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus].
abstract: The authors studied the prophylactic activity of long-acting oxytetracycline in the gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, infected with the cattle piroplasm Babesia divergens. Parasitemia, packed cell volume (PCV) and survival rate were monitored. At 5 and 20 mg/kg, the prophylactic activity was absent and all the animals died. At 40 mg/kg, two animals out of five survived but were clinically affected and sustained a severe hemolytic anaemia. However, at 80 mg/kg, the parasitemias remained very low, the PCV's were unchanged and all the animals survived; furthermore, they were totally resistant to a challenge infection given 33 days after the primary infection. There is a good agreement between these results and those reported in cattle naturally or experimentally infected with B. divergens.
authors.affiliation: Université de Liège, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Laboratoire de parasitologie et pathologie des maladies parasitaires, Bruxelles, Belgique.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Losson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Patz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006400:Hematocrit; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D010118:Oxytetracycline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D010118:Oxytetracycline
vernacular_title: Babesia divergens: activité de l'oxytétracycline retard chez la gerbille, Meriones unguiculatus.