Evaluation of efficacy and effects of daily dosing of diminazene aceturate in dogs experimentally infected with Trypanosoma congolense.

Resistance to trypanocidal drugs or relapse of infection poses a big challenge to the effective treatment of trypanosomosis. This study investigated the efficacy and effect of multiple daily doses of diminazene aceturate (DA) in Nigerian indigenous dogs (NID) experimentally infected with Trypanosoma congolense (2.5 x 10⁵). Fifteen NID of both sexes and mean weight of 9.4± 0.98 kg were randomly divided into 3 equal groups. Group A dogs were infected but not treated. Groups B and C were infected with T. congolense, and treated with single and four multiple daily divided doses of 3.5 mg/kg of DA, respectively. Parasitaemia was detected in the infected dogs on day 10 post infection (pi) and treatment was instituted in Groups B and C dogs on day 17 pi. Parasitaemia was cleared on days 10 and 8 post-treatment in Groups B and C respectively. There was an increase in urea, creatinine, aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels in all the groups while, alkaline phosphatase, Packed Cell Volume and Red Blood Cells count decreased. There was relapse of infection in treated groups on day 25 post- treatment. We concluded that four multiple daily divided doses of DA (3.5 mg/kg) were not effective in preventing relapse of T. congolense infection in NID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]