Animal Health Research Institute, Beni-Suef.

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFICACY

OF ALBENDAZOLE AND MIRAZID ON FASCIOLIASIS IN CATTLE

(With 6 Tables and 2 Figures)

By

A-R.M. Khateib

(Received at 1/9/2009)

دراسة مقارنة عن کفاءة الالبندازول والميرازيد في علاج الديدان الکبدية

في الأبقار

عبد الرحمن محمود خطيب

أجريت هذه الدراسة فى محافظة بنى سويف على عدد 32 من الأبقار المصابة بديدان الفاشيولا وتتراوح أعمارهم من 2 – 5 سنوات وقد تم العلاج باستخدام عقار الالبندازول جرعة واحدة ومعدل15 مج / کجم من وزن الحيوان  وکذلک دواء الميرازيد (عشب المر) بمعدل 10 مج / کجم من وزن الحيوان وکررت الجرعات على ثلاثة أيام متتالية وکررت نصف الجرعة السابقة على ستة أيام في مجموعة أخرى ، وأثبتت النتائج أن عقار الالبندازول له تأثير جيد على الديدان البالغة فقط بدليل ظهور بويضات الفاشيولا في براز الحيوانات المعالجة بعد شهر تقريباً وهو أحد الاحتمالات لذلک. أما العلاج بالميرازيد فقد أثبت کفاءة أطول حتى الأسبوع الثاني عشر بعد العلاج ، وقد أظهر کذلک أمان في الاستعمال ، وقد أظهرت النتائج عدم ظهوراى اعراض جانبية عند الاستعمال واثبتت زيادة کفاءة الدواء عند تکراره 6 أيام متتالية على الرغم أن هذا التکرار يمثل عقبة في استعمال هذا العقار الجديد في الحقل البيطري.

SUMMARY

The present investigation was carried out to clearify the efficacy of Albendazole at dose rate 15 mg/kg b.wt. and Mirazid (Commiphora Mol-Mol or Myrrh)at dose rate 10 mg/kg b.wt in treatment of fascioliasis in cattle. The results revealed that Albendazole resulted in efficacy 100% but in the 5^th week post-treatment, reshedding of eggs in the faecees occurred, meaning that Albendazole is effective against mature flukes only. However Mirazid revealed that it is effective at 5^th week until 12^th week and its efficacy was 90% and 85% in 3 successive days or 6 successive days doses of treatment, respectively. It is concluded that Mirazid proved to be effective anti-fascioliasis drug but need development to prolonged times of administration of the drug.

Key words: Albendazole, mirazid, fascioliasis, cattle.

INTRODUCTION

            Fascioliasis is still an important disease in farm animals specially localities near stagnant water. Examination of the animal faeces for Fasciolaeggs showed prevalence rates of 30% in North Sinae Governorate up to 59.5% in Dakahlia Governorate for both cattle and buffaloes, an 7.0% in North-Sinai Governorate to 78.0% in Dakahlia Governorate for sheep (Soliman, 1998) as to Fasciola sp. in Egypt. In Fasciola infected animals, the economic losses due to metabolic disorders were 30 times higher than losses due to mortalities or condemunated parts in abattoirs (Ribbeck and Witzel, 1979). Nowadays, it is an important increasing zoontic disease not only in Egypt (Haridy  et al., 1999) but worldwide (Mas-Coma et al., 1997). Concerning the effect of many fasciolicides drugs, Moll et al. (2000) in Holland and Thomas et al. (2000) in South Western Wales, reported the Triclabendazole resistantance to Fasciola hepatica in sheep and cattle. Precautions and warnings must be taken in using this drug as: Œ animals, should not be slaughtered for human consumption within 30 days after treatment,  do not using milk of treated animal for month Ž keep out of reach of children,  washing hands after use (Boary et al., 1983). These indicate difficultsies in using the drug. Albendazole is effective against mature fluk (Min et al., 1983) but less effective for immature flukes in sheep (Jones and Dickeson, 1979).

            The present investigation aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Mirazid (Comminphora Mol Mol or Myrrh) as herbal drug used recently as fasciolicide. It is included in list of plants which are acceptable for use in foods in the Council of Europe (1981) and consideded safe natural substance approved by FDA for foods use (Ford et al., 1992).

MATERIALS and METHODS

          The present study was performed in endemic area in Beni Suief Governrate with high Fasciolia gigantica infection. This area was near the River Nile banks with chance of stagnention of water after increasing water flow in Summer.

            In this experiment 32 Fasciola infected 2-5 years old cattle were employed, these animals were divided into 4 groups: Group (1):consisted of 10 cattles treated orally with 15 mg/kg. bwt. of Albendazole in single dose according to Min et al. (1983) and Misra et al. (1989). This drug was purchased from prepared Delta Farm Company. Group(2):consisted of 10 cattle treated with Mirazid at dose rate 10 mg/kg b. wt for 3 successive days orally on empty stomach, one hour before breakfast according to Haridy et al. (2003). Group (3):consisted of 7 cattle treated with Mirazid at dose rate 5 mg/kg b. wt for 6 successive days orally on empty stomach, one hour before breakfast according to Morsy et al. (2005).This drug was purchased from prepared Farco Company. Group (4):consisted of 5 cattle kept as control (non treated animals).

Detection and counting of Fasciola eggs in faeces of all examined animals was carried out according to Parffit and Banks (1970) for 2 successive days before treatment and at the 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, 8^th and 12^th week after treatment. Animals showing no eggs in their faeces in 2 successive examinations were considered free beside the progressive recovery of the symptoms of disease.

Evaluation of the efficacy of the drugs was assessed by the reduction of mean eggs excretion of each measurement point according to Foreyt formula (1998) as follows:

RESULTS

            The results of the present study are shown in Tables 1,2,3 and 4 and revealed that Albendazole is more effective drug as proved by complete disappearance of the eggs from faeces in the 1^st and 3^rd week post treatment, but eggs reappear eggs again in 50% of treated animals. However, Mirazid gave 90% disappearing of the eggs from faeces of treated animals at dose rate 10 mg/kg b. wt for 3 successive days starting from the 5^th week and until 12^th week and also when it was given at dose rate 5 mg/kg b. wt for 6 successive days disappearance of eggs from faeces in 85% of treated animals at 5^th week until 12^th week.

            Tables 5 & 6 and Figs. 1 & 2 illustrate that Mirazid efficacy in both 2 doses rate is higher than Albendazole for long time and that Mirazid is more effective when given for 6 days but prolonged times of administration resembles a difficulty for using that drug. Mirazid caused more disappearence of symptoms of the disease without side effects and saf to be used.

Table 1: Results of faecal egg count in Fasciola infected cattle before and after treatment with Albendazole at dose rate 15 mg/kg b. wt orally for single dose.

Table 2: Results of faecal egg count in Fasciola infected cattle before and after treatment with Mirazid capsules (300 mg) at dose rate 10 mg/kg b. wt orally for 3 consecutive days.

Table 3: Results of feacal egg count in Fasciola infected cattle before and after treatment with Mirazid capsules (300 mg) at dose rate 5 mg/kg b. wt orally for 6 consecutive days.

Table 4: Results of feacal egg count of control untreated fasciola infested cattle

N.D. =  Not done because it was lost.

Table 5: Comparative results between efficacy of Albendazole and Mirazid in treatment of Fasciola infected cattle during the same period of the experiment 

Table 6: The efficacy of Albendazole and Mirazid after treatment of fascioliasis in cattle

DISCUSSION

The present investigation was done to study the efficacy of albendazole (chemical drug) as fasciolicidial comparatively to a new fasciolicidial herbal drug (Myrrh or Commiphora Mol Mol) which is used recently in treatment of humaen fascioliasis and schistosomiasis (Haridy et al., 1999).

The results (Table, 1) revealed that using Albendazole resulted in 100% efficacy after 3 weeks then begin eggs appeared in 30, 50 and 50% of treated animals in 5^th, 8^th and 12^th weeks respectively. This finding revealed that Albendazole efficacy at dose rate 15 mg/kg b. wt is 100% on mature flukes only. This finding is supported by Kumar and Pachauri (1989). Misra et al. (1989) recorded 96% efficacy; El-Sayed (1996) found that efficacy reach to 80%; Kako et al. (2000) reported efficacy 97% for adult flukes, at dose rate 20 mg/kg b. wt and Bulent    et al. (2006) recorded that efficacy reach 66-76 on mature flukes as the eggs reappeat in faces of  treatred animals after 4 weeks.

The results in Tables 2&3 revealed that treatment by Mirazid resulted in 90% disappearance of the eggs from the faeces at dose rate 10 mg/kg b. wt for 3 successive days at the 5^th week until 12^th week and resulted in 85% disappearence of eggs in the faeces of treated animals at dose rate 5 mg/kg b. wt for 6 successive days, these results are supported by Haridy et al. (2003) who found that Mirazid efficacy (cure %) was 100% in sheep naturally infected with Fasciola and treated at dose rate 600 mg/kg b. wt for 2 successive days or 300 mg/kg b. wt for 3 successive days watch is also supported by Morsy et al. (2005) who found that efficacy (cure %) was 100% in sheep naturally infected with Fasciola and treated at dose rate 600 mg/kg b. wt for 3 successive days, while efficacy was 50% and 100% at buffaloes and donkeys respectively at dose rate, 100 mg/kg b. wt daily for 3-6 successive days.

Tables 5 & 6 and Figs. 1 & 2 revealed that Mirazid efficacy is higher than Albendazole in treatment fascioliasis in cattle for duration of stop shedding eggs is faeces of treated animal until 12^th week, and treatment for 6 successive days more effective than 3 days, but found animal no 7 in Table 2 was not responding for treatment and this may be due to fault in prolonged administration of drug or may be due to Mirazid resistance of animal to Fasciola gigantica.

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