Abstract
Filarial parasites like Brugia pahangi and Brugia malayi can infect dogs. Adults of Brugia genus resides in the lymphatic system and microfilariae, in blood. There are increasing reports of detection of B. malayi microfilariae in dogs. A study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of repeated oral dosing of ivermectin (IVT) and diethylcarbamazine (DEC), individually and in combination against naturally infected B. malayi microfilariae in dogs. The species of the microfilariae was confirmed by acid phosphatase staining and polymerase chain reaction. The three treatment groups were 200 mcg/kg body weight IVT daily for 14 days (I), 6.6 mg/kg body weight DEC daily for 14 days (II) and IVT and DEC together in the same dose for a period of 5 days (III). Microfilarial status of the peripheral blood was assessed on the 0th, 7th, 14th and 21st day. Haematological parameters were measured on day zero and on the 21st day. Though, all the three treatment groups showed a reduction in the microfilarial concentration through the study period, complete absence of detectable microfilaremia was not noticed in any of the three groups by 21st day. Among the haematological parameters, statistically significant difference was observed in the post-treatment means of haemoglobin levels of group III when compared with group II. Since group III regime (IVT + DEC) was shorter and just as effective as the longer ones, it is considered superior to the other two.
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The present paper is a part of MVSc thesis submitted to the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and the authors are thankful to the University for the Facilities and grant rendered for the research.
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Poojary Vineeta Sadarama—MVSc scholar performed the research. Deepa Chirayath—Major guide for the MVSc Research who formulated the research work and gave instructions in performing the research and helped in preparing the manuscript. Usha Narayana Pillai—Minor guide for the MVSc research and Head of the Department who provided all guidance for the research. Bindu Lakshmanan—Minor Guide for the MVSc Research and guided for ELISA standardization.
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There is no separate funding for this research project. The project is formulated following the guidelines of Institutional Animal Ethics Committee and got approval from faculty Research Committee with code number Ad/9/96/MVM/2015/CM. It is certified that all biomaterials required for the research were collected and the treatments were assigned, with prior written consent from the owners of the animals. There is no conflict of interest for the research findings. The article is a part of thesis submitted to Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences and submitted with consent from all authors.
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Sadarama, P.V., Chirayath, D., Pillai, U.N. et al. Comparison of efficacy of ivermectin and diethylcarbamazine against naturally infected Brugia malayi microfilaria in dogs. J Parasit Dis 43, 554–559 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-019-01126-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-019-01126-2