Prophylactic effects of intermittent medication of levamisole hydrochloride against dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs

Levamisole塩酸塩の間歇投与による犬における犬糸状虫予防効果

Prophylactic effects of intermittent medication of levamisole hydrochloride against dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs

Creators Hayasaki Mineo

Creators 小林 茂雄

Creators 大石 勇

Prophylactic effects of levamisole hydrochloride on the developing stages of Dirofilaria immitis were studied using D. immitis infected dogs. The experiment 1 consisted of 13 experimental and 11 control dogs. All of them were exposed to natural infection by means of mosquito bites throughout three months of the season of natural transmission, from July to September. Thirteen experimental dogs were medicated two times at intervals of months, in August and October, with levamisole hydrochloride at a dose of 20 mg/kg a day for three days by subcutaneous injection and 11 control dogs were not medicated. The experiment 2 consisted of 4 experimental dogs and 3 controls. These dogs were exposed to natural infection as the same as mentioned above and additionally infected with a single experimental inoculation of infective larvae on 28th, July for steadily establishing the infection. The experimental dogs were divided into two groups and received two courses of medication. Two dogs were subcutaneously given levamisole hydrochloride at 7 mg/kg, t.i.d (21 mg/kg/day) for 5 days and the other two dogs were subcutaneously medicated 10 mg/kg, b.i.d. (20 mg/kg/day) for 5 days, respectively. The first course of medication was given 1.5 months and the second course was 3.5 months after the beginning of season of transmission. In experiment 1, they were sacrificed 3.5 months (January, 10th) after the end of infectious season. Levamisole hydrochloride was highly effective for the prevetion from D. immitis infection as a larvicide. In experiment 2, dogs were sacrificed 152 days after experimental infection. At necropsy, no worm was recovered from four medicated dogs. To the contrary, three controls had 32.3 (16 to 66) worm in average and the mean recovery rate was 72.7 (40.5 to 134.6)%. These data are also indicative that the prophylactic effect in the dogs medicated two times daily did not differ from that in the other group medicated three times daily. In experiment 1 and 2, no substantial clinical side reaction was observed except for mild and transient vomiting, anorexia and depression.

[ISSN]0021-5171

[NCID]AN00051494

[isVersionOf] Dirofilaria immitis infection and dirofilariosis : an animal model of human filariosis [URI]http://www.lib.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp/yunoca/handle/2010010511