Effect of daily administration of pyrantel tartrate in preventing infection in horses experimentally challenged with Sarcocystis neurona.

This research is about an experiment that was conducted to understand whether regular use of pyrantel tartrate could stop horses from being infected with the Sarcocystis neurona parasite. However, the researchers concluded that daily consumption of pyrantel tartrate at the given dose does not prevent this infection.

Research Methodology

• The researchers chose a mixed group of 24 weanling horses, 10 adult horses, an opossum, and six mice for the experiment.
• The weanling horses, which had never been exposed to Sarcocystis neurona (S. neurona) before, were divided into two groups at random. The horses in Group A were given pyrantel tartrate at a marked dose, while those in Group B received a non-medicated pellet.
• The horses were then orally fed sporocysts at increasing quantities, starting from 100 sporocysts per day for 28 days, then 500 sporocysts per day for another 28 days, and finally 1000 sporocysts per day for 56 days.
• Blood samples were taken weekly from the horses and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) samples were collected monthly as part of the study monitoring process.
• The adult horses, which tested negative for S. neurona antibody, were observed as non-infected, untreated control animals during the length of the study.

Experiment and Result Analysis

• All blood and CSF samples were examined using western blot tests for S. neurona antibodies.
• After 134 days of sporocyst feeding, the number of horses with S. neurona antibodies in serum and CSF in both groups was compared using the Fisher exact test.
• Also, the time it took for the horses to test positive for S. neurona antibodies, subjects divided by treatment group and sex, was compared under two univariable Cox proportional hazards models.
• No significant difference was found between Group A and B based on the western blot tests of serum or CSF. Furthermore, there were no marked differences found in the number of days it took for the horses to show positive antibody results based on the separate treatment groups or the sex of horses.
• Uninfected adult horses of the control group maintained a negative antibody status.

Conclusion

• At the conclusion of the study, the researchers established that the daily intake of pyrantel tartrate, administered at the existing labeled dose, is not successful in preventing S. neurona infection in horses.