title: Efficacious and safe dose of praziquantel for the successful treatment of feline reservoir hosts with opisthorchiasis.
abstract: Opisthorchiasis caused by Opisthorchis viverrini is a major food-borne zoonosis in Greater Mekong sub-region. Even though campaigns discouraging the consumption of raw fish have been launched to public, the disease still remains highly endemic. The unsuccessful eradication of the disease is probably because of the persistence of the parasite in animal reservoir hosts, particularly felids. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for morbidity control of opisthorchiasis in humans and animals. However, there is no specific study on its dosage regimen for feline opisthorchiasis. Thus, the effective treatment dose of PZQ, as well as its adverse effects, was evaluated in O. viverrini infected cats. Twenty-eight infected male and female cats from the endemic area of Khon Kaen and Maha Sarakham Provinces, Thailand were enrolled in this study. Physical, hematological, blood chemical and urine examinations were analyzed, as indicators of health status, on the day before and 30days after treatment. Intensity of the infections was determined by the formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique. Cats were equally allotted into the low infection group of 14 cats with egg count per gram of feces (EPG) <300 and the high infection group of 14 cats with EPG higher than 300. Cats in each group were equally divided into two subgroups of 7 cats; thus, there were two low infection subgroups (L1 and L2 subgroups) and two high infection subgroups (H1 and H2 subgroups). A single dose of 25mg/kg PZQ was orally administered to each cat in the L1 and H1 subgroups and a single oral dose of 40mg/kg PZQ was administered to the L2 and H2 subgroups. Complete clearance of O. viverrini eggs was found in all cats in the L1, L2 and H2 subgroups; thus, the cure rate (CR) and egg reduction rate (ERR) were 100%. However, partial clearance was observed in two cats with high EPG (1502 and 1518) in the H1 subgroup, which received 25mg/kg PZQ. Regards, CR and ERR for these two animals was 71.4 and 99.5%. No significant difference among the 4 subgroups was seen. Almost all hematological, blood chemical and urinalysis data were within normal ranges, except for the eosinophilia and an increase of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Hookworm infection seen in all cats would cause eosinophilia. As for drug safety, there was no side effect observed in any cats. In conclusion, this study suggested that 40mg/kg PZQ is a highly effective and safe dosage for the treatment of feline reservoir hosts of human opisthorchiasis.
authors: Graduate School, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
authors: Piya
authors: P
authors: Sereerak
authors: Graduate School, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
authors: Songkaid
authors: S
authors: Upontain
authors: Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
authors: Prasarn
authors: P
authors: Tangkawattana
authors: Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada.
authors: Frank F
authors: FF
authors: Mallory
authors: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand; WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver Fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Laboratory, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
authors: Banchob
authors: B
authors: Sripa
authors: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand; WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver Fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Laboratory, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand. Electronic address: sirikach@kku.ac.th.
authors: Sirikachorn
authors: S
authors: Tangkawattana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002415:Cats; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009889:Opisthorchiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D009891:Opisthorchis / Q000187:drug effects*; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013785:Thailand
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D011223:Praziquantel
keywords: Cat; Opisthorchiasis; Praziquantel; Reservoir host; Treatment