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Efficacy of Cymelarsan and Diminasan against Trypanosoma equiperdum infections in mice and horses.
Abstract: Trypanocidal sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of Diminazene diaceturate (Diminasan) and Bis (aminoethylthio) 4-melaminophenylarsine dihydrochloride (Cymelarsan) against Trypanosoma equiperdum (isolated from two mares with chronic cases of dourine) 713/943 and 834/940 Dodola strains in experimentally infected mice and horses. Diminasan at doses from 3.5 mg/kg to 28 mg/kg and Cymelarsan at doses of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg body weight failed to cure any of the mice, indicating a clear dose dependent relationship in the mean time of relapse observed in mice. Indeed, mice treated with lower doses relapsed after a shorter time than mice treated with higher doses. However, mice treated with Cymelarsan at doses of 1.0 mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg body weight were cured and no parasitemia was observed for 60 days. The efficacy of Cymelarsan was also tested in horses. Two groups of horses containing two animals each were infected with T. equiperdum 834/940 Dodola strain and treated with Cymelarsan at a dose rate of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg, respectively. Cymelarsan at 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg body weight cleared parasitemia within 24 h post treatment and none of the animals were found to show relapse throughout the 320 days of observation. The sensitivity of the particular trypanosome strain to Cymelarsan was also supported by the relative improvement in the mean PCV levels of horses following treatment. A statistically significant difference (p<0.01) in the mean PCV levels of horses treated with Cymelarsan was observed between day 20 at peak parasitemia and days 40 as well as 60 of observation. The mean PCV levels of horses in the control group progressively decreased within the first 60 days of post infection. Two of the horses in the control group developed chronic form of dourine manifested by genital as well as nervous signs with progressive loss of body condition within 320 days post infection. The efficacy of Cymelarsan against the chronic form of dourine was confirmed after treatment of one of the control horses with Cymelarsan at a dose rate of 0.25 mg/kg body weight at day 282 post infection. It was noted that the treated horse improved overall body condition and clinical signs such as incoordination of hind legs, weakness and ventral oedema disappeared within 10 days of treatment. Thus, Cymelarsan was found to be quite effective in curing horses in acute as well as chronic form of dourine. The results obtained from the present study will be important for designing effective control measures against dourine.
Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2010-04-02 PubMed ID: 20417035DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.03.041Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Controlled Clinical Trial
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article details the efficacy of specific drugs, Cymelarsan and Diminasan, against infections caused by Trypanosoma equiperdum in mice and horses.
Experiment Details and Initial Findings
- The first aspect of the research involved experiments on both mice and horses that were purposely infected with Trypanosoma equiperdum, a parasite known to cause dourine, a disease in horses.
- Two types of drugs, namely Cymelarsan and Diminasan, were administrated in varying doses to ascertain their effectiveness in fighting the infection.
- The study found that lower doses of the drugs failed to cure the mice, indicating a relationship between the amount of dosage and time of relapse. This implies that lesser doses led to quicker relapses while higher doses pushed back the relapse time.
- In addition, it was observed that mice that received Cymelarsan doses of 1.0 mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg were completely cured with no parasitemia observed for 60 days.
Effect on Horses and Notable Outcomes
- The potency of Cymelarsan was also tested on horses. Two groups of horses infected with T. equiperdum and treated with Cymelarsan at a dose rate of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg respectively showed remarkable improvements.
- Parasitemia was cleared within the first 24 hours of treatment and none of the animals showed relapse throughout the 320 days of observation.
- Data collected indicated that the treatment significantly improved the mean Packed Cell Volume (PCV) levels in the horses after treatment, further affirming the sensitivity of the T. equiperdum strain to the drug, Cymelarsan.
- It was noted that horses in the control group developed a chronic form of dourine, demonstrating symptoms such as progressive loss of body condition, genital abnormalities, and nervous impairments.
Efficacy of Cymelarsan Against Chronic Dourine
- The study also revealed that Cymelarsan demonstrated effectiveness against the chronic form of dourine.
- This was confirmed by an improvement in body condition and the disappearance of clinical signs in one of the horses in the control group, following treatment with Cymelarsan at a dose rate of 0.25 mg/kg body weight at day 282 after infection.
Concluding Observations
- Results from the study suggest that Cymelarsan is particularly effective in curing both acute and chronic forms of dourine.
- The findings hold potential value in helping to design effective control measures against dourine.
Cite This Article
APA
Hagos A, Goddeeris BM, Yilkal K, Alemu T, Fikru R, Yacob HT, Feseha G, Claes F.
(2010).
Efficacy of Cymelarsan and Diminasan against Trypanosoma equiperdum infections in mice and horses.
Vet Parasitol, 171(3-4), 200-206.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.03.041 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology and Parasitology, P.O. Box 34, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Arsenicals / therapeutic use
- Diminazene / analogs & derivatives
- Diminazene / therapeutic use
- Female
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Mice
- Parasitemia
- Time Factors
- Trypanocidal Agents / therapeutic use
- Trypanosoma
- Trypanosomiasis / drug therapy
- Trypanosomiasis / veterinary
Citations
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