title: Antiparasitic efficacy of a novel plant-based functional food using an Ascaris suum model in pigs.
abstract: Ascaris lumbricoides is the most prevalent soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection of human beings worldwide. Chemotherapy with synthetic anthelmintics such as albendazole, mebendazole, and pyrantel pamoate is the current method of treatment; however, the emergence of anthelmintic resistance could substantially decrease the efficacy of such treatments and the sustainability of STH control programs. Additionally, benzimidazoles are not recommended for pregnant women or children under age one. A blinded, controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two microencapsulated, plant-based essential oil blends, TTN1013 (α-pinene, linalyl acetate, p-cymene, and thymol octanoate) and TTN1014 (α-pinene, linalyl acetate, p-cymene, and thymol acetate) as functional foods against Ascaris suum infection in pigs, an important pathogen that closely resembles human infections with A. lumbricoides. Four groups of 16 female, 21-24 day old, Yorkshire-cross pigs were treated daily with 0.5 or 1.0mg/kg TTN1013, 1.0mg/kg TTN1014, or 1.0mg/kg equivalent of empty capsules, delivered inside a cream-filled sandwich cookie for 14 weeks. Three days after the initiation of daily treatments, pigs were inoculated daily with A. suum eggs for four weeks. Pigs were weighed weekly and fecal egg counts (FEC) were conducted weekly starting five weeks after initial inoculation with A. suum eggs. Fourteen weeks after first infection with eggs, pigs were necropsied and worms were recovered, counted and separated according to sex. TTN1013 administered daily at a dose of 1.0mg/kg yielded a statistically significant reduction in total worm counts (76.8%), female worm counts (75.5%), FEC (68.6%), and worm volume (62.9%) when compared to control group. Reduction of total and female worm numbers and FEC were not significant for TTN1014 or at the 0.5mg/kg dose of TTN1013. All treatments were well-tolerated by all pigs and did not cause any adverse reactions. All pigs remained clinically normal and showed no signs of reduced intestinal health for the duration of treatment. Based on these results, TTN1013 shows promise as a daily supplement to reduce infection burdens of soil transmitted helminths in both pigs and human beings.
authors: University of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Electronic address: rkaplan@uga.edu.
authors: R M
authors: RM
authors: Kaplan
authors: University of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors: B E
authors: BE
authors: Storey
authors: George Mason University, Department of Statistics, Fairfax, VA, USA.
authors: A N
authors: AN
authors: Vidyashankar
authors: TyraTech Inc., Morrisville, NC, USA.
authors: B W
authors: BW
authors: Bissinger
authors: TyraTech Inc., Morrisville, NC, USA.
authors: S M
authors: SM
authors: Mitchell
authors: University of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors: S B
authors: SB
authors: Howell
authors: University of Georgia, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors: M E
authors: ME
authors: Mason
authors: University of Georgia, Department of Population Health, Athens, GA, USA.
authors: M D
authors: MD
authors: Lee
authors: University of Georgia, Department of Population Health, Athens, GA, USA.
authors: A A
authors: AA
authors: Pedroso
authors: Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, USA.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Akashe
authors: Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, USA.
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: Skrypec
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017165:Ascaris suum / Q000187:drug effects*; D000081008:Bicyclic Monoterpenes; D000081007:Cymenes; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005503:Food Additives / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011897:Random Allocation; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000469:parasitology; D013943:Thymol / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D000081008:Bicyclic Monoterpenes; D000081007:Cymenes; D005503:Food Additives; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; C007210:4-cymene; D013943:Thymol; C074463:linalyl acetate; C005451:alpha-pinene
keywords: Anthelmintic; Essential oil; Functional food; Microencapsulation; Tyramine receptor