A comparison of the effects of flubendazole and thiabendazole on the larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Trichinella spiralis, Diphyllobothrium erinacei and Hymenolepis nana in mice

Abstract

Flubendazole or thiabendazole were administered orally to mice harbouring larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Trichinella spiralis, Diphyllobothrium erinacei or Hymenolepis nana 5-10, 28-33, 21-26 and 1-6 days post-infection respectively. All the mice infected with A. cantonensis were completely cured after treatment with flubendazole at 5 mg/kg/day for 6 days. No noticeable damage was found in the cerebral hemispheres of the mice treated with flubendazole and examined under a dissecting microscope. On the other hand, larvae were found in or on the cerebral hemispheres showing obvious haemorrhage in the control mice. The mice treated with flubendazole gained weight while the control mice lost weight. No larvicidal effect of thiabendazole on A. cantonensis was found at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 6 days. The mean reduction of larval T. spiralis in mice treated with flubendazole at 5, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day for 6 days was 64, 100 and 99% respectively. In comparison, thiabendazole showed no efficacy against T. spiralis larvae at 50 or 100 mg/kg/day. Mice harbouring plerocercoids of D. erinacei or H. nana larvae were not cured with either flubendazole or thiabendazole at 50 or 100 mg/kg/day for 6 days.

Larvicidal Effect of Perbendazole on Experimental Infection of <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis </i>in Mice

“…Similar results were obtained against A. malaysiensis infection (100% ef ficacy) in rats using doses of 5 x 10 mg/kg subcutaneously [1]. All mice were cured with flubendazole at 5 mg/kg/day for 6 days administered orally at the 5th day af ter infection [5].…”

Effect of flubendazole on the number of first-stage larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis released in the faeces of treated rats

“…Flubendazole was found to be effective against tissue-invading helminths as well as gastrointestinal ones (THIENPONT et al, 1978). The following tissue-parasitic nematodes were reported to be sensitive to this drug administered orally, subcutaneously or intraperitoneally: A. cantonensis (MAKI & YANAGISAWA, 1983. A. malaysiensis (AMBU & MAK, 1981), Trichinella spiralis (THIENPONT et al, 1978;VANPARIJS et al, 1979;CAMPBELL & DENHAM, 1983;MAKI & YANAGISAWA, 1983 and various filariae, such as Breinlia booliati (MAK, 1981), Brugia malayi (MAEDA et al, 1988), B. pahangi (DENHAM et a/., 1979;COURT, 1982;REDDY et al, 1983;DEVANEY et al, 1985;VAN KERCKHOVEN & KUMAR, 1988), Dipetalonema (now Acanthocheilonema) viteae (DENHAM, 1980) and Litomosoides carinii (REDDY et al, 1983).…”

“…Flubendazole has been found by MAKI & YANAGISAWA (1983 to be effective against larval Angiostrongylus cantonensis, causative agent of human eosinophilic meningoencephalitis (ALICATA, 1965;YH, 1976). This drug was found to eliminate adult A. cantonensis as well, with lower effectiveness (MAKI & YANAGISAWA, 1986).…”

Drug trials for treatment of human angiostrongyliasis

“…MAKI & YANAGISAWA 28 compared the effects of flubendazole and thiabendazole on the larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis and other helminths. Thiabendazole had no larvicidal effect on A. cantonensis at the doses of 10 mg/kg/day for six consecutive days.…”