title: EFFICACY OF NITAZOXANIDE AGAINST Toxocara canis: LARVAL RECOVERY AND HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSE IN EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED MICE.
abstract: The efficacy of nitazoxanide (NTZ) against toxocariasis was investigated in an experimental murine model and results were compared to those obtained using mebendazole. Sixty male BALB/c mice, aged six to eight weeks-old, were divided into groups of 10 each; fifty were orally infected with 300 larvaed eggs of T. canis and grouped as follows, G I: infected untreated mice; G II: infected mice treated with MBZ (15 mg/kg/day) 10 days postinfection (dpi); G III: infected mice treated with NTZ (20 mg/kg/day) 10 dpi; G IV: infected mice treated with MBZ 60 dpi; G V: infected mice treated with NTZ 60 dpi; GVI: control group comprising uninfected mice. Mice were bled via retro-orbital plexus on four occasions between 30 and 120 dpi. Sera were processed using the ELISA technique to detect IgG anti- Toxocara antibodies. At 120 dpi, mice were sacrificed for larval recovery in the CNS, liver, lungs, kidneys, eyes and carcass. Results showed similar levels of anti- Toxocara IgG antibodies among mice infected but not submitted to treatment and groups treated with MBZ or NTZ, 10 and 60 dpi. Larval recovery showed similar values in groups treated with NTZ and MBZ 10 dpi. MBZ showed better efficacy 60 dpi, with a 72.6% reduction in the parasite load compared with NTZ, which showed only 46.5% reduction. We conclude that administration of these anthelmintics did not modify the humoral response in experimental infection by T. canis. No parasitological cure was observed with either drug; however, a greater reduction in parasite load was achieved following treatment with MBZ.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BR.
authors.forename: Susana A Zevallos
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lescano
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BR.
authors.forename: Sergio Vieira dos
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BR.
authors.forename: Jesiel Maurício Lemos
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Assis
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BR.
authors.forename: Pedro Paulo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Chieffi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000187:drug effects*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D013844:Thiazoles; D008463:Mebendazole; C041747:nitazoxanide