Efficacy of ivermectin in oral drench and paste formulation against migrating larvae of experimentally inoculated Parascaris equorum.

The research article assesses the effectiveness of ivermectin in oral paste and drench forms in treating migrating larvae of the Parascaris equorum parasite in mixed-breed pony foals. The study demonstrates that ivermectin, in both formulations, was 100% effective against the parasite.

Methodology

• This study employed 21 mixed-breed pony foals that were reared and maintained under parasite-free conditions as test subjects.
• These foals were experimentally infected with 11-day-old migrating Parascaris equorum larvae to test the performance of ivermectin against them.
• The researchers formed three groups of four foals and another three groups of three foals based on the ages of the ponies.
• In the group of four, foals were randomly selected to either indicate, or to be given ivermectin paste or liquid, or serve as a control that only received a vehicle (control).
• In the group of three, the foals were randomly assigned to receive vehicle or ivermectin paste or ivermectin liquid.

Findings

• 11 days after inoculation (which was considered as day 0 of treatment), 99.9% of the larvae were found in the lungs of the indicator foals.
• 25 days after inoculation, all the larvae had migrated to the small intestine, as evidenced by their recovery from the small intestines and lungs of the control group ponies.
• The mean length of larvae recovered from the lungs 11 days post-inoculation was 0.87 mm, although those recovered from the small intestine 25 days post-inoculation had grown to 3.65 mm.
• The researchers concluded that ivermectin, in both paste and liquid forms, was 100% effective against 11-day old P. equorum larvae, a significant result indicated by a p-value of less than 0.01 when compared with the geometric mean of the control group, which stood at 1498.4.