Investigation of the prophylactic and therapeutic effectiveness of oral thyme extract in rats experimentally infected with cryptosporidium parvum

Abstract

In this study, the prophylactic and therapeutic activities of thyme extract at different concentrations against experimental Cryptosporidium parvum infection in immunosuppressed rats were investigated. Thyme extract was prepared at four different concentrations (10%, 30%, 50%, and 100%) and administered as a single oral dose of 1 mL for evaluation of its prophylactic efficacy. Five consecutive days after infection was detected in all rats, therapeutic evaluations were also performed. According to the results obtained by daily counting of oocysts in stools, the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of thyme extract administration were significant in comparison to the control group ( P ˂0.01). Oocyst shedding continued in the control group at high numbers from the beginning to the end of the study, while oocyst counts in the prophylaxis groups remained low throughout the study. On the other hand, oocyst excretion rates were high in the therapeutic groups and decreased rapidly after thyme extract administration. At the end of the study, oocyst excretion had completely stopped for some rats administered thyme extract. There was no group in which oocyst shedding ceased for all rats. No significant differences were observed in the therapeutic or prophylaxis groups regarding the doses administered ( P > 0.01). Renal and hepatic functions were monitored by measuring urea, creatinine, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase levels ​​before and after thyme extract administration. As a result, it was concluded that oral thyme extract administration at the doses applied in this study is effective and safe in the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of experimental cryptosporidiosis in rats.

The anti-parasitic activity of Thymus vulgaris (Thyme): A literature review

“…Furthermore, the treatment group displayed substantially reduced infection levels compared to the infected group. These impressive findings led the researchers to conclude that administering thyme extract orally is a safe and effective treatment for rats exhibiting cryptosporidiosis (Kara et al, 2023).In further research, the impact of essential oils, including thyme and its major constituents such as thymol and carvacrol, on Cryptosporidium baileyi and Cryptosporidium galli oocysts was assessed using a direct contact technique. The results revealed that all essential oils and their major components were capable of eliminating both forms of Cryptosporidium.…”