Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Silver Nanoparticles in the Treatment of Non-Neurological and Neurological Distemper in Dogs: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Canine distemper is caused by canine distemper virus (CDV), a multisystemic infectious disease with a high morbidity and mortality rate in dogs. Nanotechnology represents a development opportunity for new molecules with antiviral effects that may become effective treatments in veterinary medicine. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in 207 CDV, naturally infected, mixed-breed dogs exhibiting clinical signs of the non-neurological and neurological phases of the disease. Group 1a included 52 dogs (experimental group) diagnosed with non-neurologic distemper treated with 3% oral and nasal AgNPs in addition to supportive therapy. Group 1b included 46 dogs (control group) diagnosed with non-neurological distemper treated with supportive therapy only. Group 2a included 58 dogs with clinical signs of neurological distemper treated with 3% oral and nasal AgNPs in addition to supportive therapy. Group 2b included 51 dogs (control group) diagnosed with clinical signs of neurological distemper treated with supportive therapy only. Efficacy was measured by the difference in survival rates: in Group 1a, the survival rate was 44/52 (84.6%), versus 7/46 in Group 1b (15.2%), while both showed clinical signs of non-neurological distemper. The survival rate of dogs with clinical signs of neurological distemper in Group 2a (38/58; 65.6%) was significantly higher than those in Control Group 2b (0/51; 0%). No adverse reactions were detected in experimental groups treated with AgNPs. AgNPs significantly improved survival in dogs with clinical signs of neurological and non-neurological distemper. The use of AgNPs in the treatment of neurological distemper led to a drastic increase in the proportion of dogs recovered without sequels compared to dogs treated without AgNPs. The evidence demonstrates that AgNP therapy can be considered as a targeted treatment in dogs severely affected by canine distemper virus.

Effective results of experimental herbal remedies in treating life- threatening viral infections in animals

“…Death is the sole outcome of certain acute viral infections in animals such as African swine fever, avian in uenza, canine distemper, and canine parvovirus infections [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to many deaths [17][18][19][20][21] .…”

A Comparative Study of Cancer Cells Susceptibility to Silver Nanoparticles Produced by Electron Beam

“…Variations of this method have been developed, where the effect of the accelerated electron beam on the aqueous solution of silver nitrate was accompanied by adding the different stabilizers, including polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) [ 20 ] or protein hydrolysate (PH) [ 21 ]. This approach ensures the production of standardized AgNPs with high bioactivity and high stability in solution [ 22 ], which was used in biotechnology, medicine, veterinary, and agriculture [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. At the same time, AgNPs synthesized with an electron beam and stabilized with PVP and PH showed low toxic effects towards hemolysis [ 26 ], and human lymphocytes [ 27 ].…”