Parasitol Res (1989) 75:655-656
Parasitnlngy
Anthelmintic activity of praziquantel on RMllietina tetragona
in chickens
I.E.M. Nurelhuda, E.E. Elowni*, and T. Hassan
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 32, Khartoum-North, Sudan
Abstract. P r a z i q u a n t e l w a s t e s t e d a g a i n s t m a t u r e
(17-day-old) and immature (7-day-old) Raillietina
tetragona in experimentally infected chickens using
s i n g l e o r a l d o s e s o f 10, 7.5, 5, o r 2.5 m g / k g b o d y
wt. T h e c o m p o u n d s h o w e d p o t e n t a n t i c e s t o d a l a c -
t i v i t y , w i t h 1 0 0 % e f f i c a c y a t 10, 7.5, a n d 5 m g / k g
against immature worms and an efficacy of 100%,
9 7 . 1 % , a n d 9 5 % a g a i n s t m a t u r e w o r m s w h e n giv-
e n a t 10, 5, a n d 2.5 m g / k g , r e s p e c t i v e l y . R e s i d u a l
w o r m s s u r v i v i n g d r u g t r e a t m e n t h a d less b i o m a s s
than the controls. Praziquantel appears to be well
tolerated by chickens, and treated birds showed
no clinical reactions at any of the doses tested.
Chicken tapeworms often cause serious problems
i n i n f e c t e d f l o c k s ( E l o w n i 1984). H o w e v e r , n o reli-
a b l e c o m m e r c i a l p r o d u c t is y e t a v a i l a b l e f o r s p e c i f -
ic u s e a g a i n s t t h e s e p a r a s i t e s . P r a z i q u a n t e l h a s
been reported to be highly effective against juvenile
and adult cestodes of dogs, cats, ruminants, rats,
m i c e , a n d m a n ( B a l d o c k e t al. 1977; B y l u n d et al.
1977; T h o m a s a n d G 6 n n e r t 1977, 1978; T h a k u r
et al. 1978). T h e o b j e c t i v e o f t h i s s t u d y w a s t o t e s t
t h e e f f i c a c y o f this c o m p o u n d a g a i n s t c h i c k e n t a p e -
worms using the fowl cestode Raillietina tetragona
as an experimental model.
Materials and methods
Birds. Fertile White Leghorn eggs were obtained from Kuku
Poultry Research Unit in Khartoum and were hatched in an
incubator in the Department of Parasitology, University of
Khartoum. Birds were raised in the laboratory under conditions
preventing accidental infection with tapeworms. They were pro-
* Present address and address for reprint requests: Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, A1-Fateh University, P.O. Box 13662, Tri-
poli, Libya
Research
9 Springer-Verlag 1989
vided with an authentic grower diet and water ad libitum.
Chicks were used when they reached ~ 8 days of age.
Infection. R. tetragona cysticercoids were recovered by the dis-
section of wild-caught ants (Pachycondyla sennaarensis). The
required number of larvae, suspended in normal physiological
saline, were fed in gelatin capsules to chicks previously starved
for 5h.
Treatment. Praziquantel (Droncit, Bayer AG) tablets were
crushed to a fine powder and the required doses were given
orally to chicks. The drug dose was calculated according to
the mean body weight of birds in the groups to be treated.
Experimental design. Praziquantel was tested against both ma-
ture (17-day-old) and immature (7-day-old) R. tetragona. The
evaluation of the efficacy of this compound was based on the
controlled test of Moskey and Harwood (1941). In any particu-
lar experiment, birds of the same age that had been exposed
to similar levels of infection were used. Treatments were allo-
cated at random to these birds, and respective groups were
designated as "treated" or "untreated controls."
Recovery of worms. Birds were sacrificed 7 or 14 days after
treatment, depending on the schedule of experiments (Tables 1
and 2). By this time, any stunted or destrobilated worms surviv-
ing drug treatment would be expected to grow sufficiently and
could therefore be easily identified at necropsy. The intestine
of each bird was slit open longitudinally in a shallow tray con-
taining normal saline, and any visible worms were collected.
Search for scolices and stunted parasites was made by repeated
microscopic examination of intestinal segments incubated at
37~ in normal physiological saline and by examination of
the incubation medium.
Analysis of results. The total recoveries (number of cysticercoids
given to treated birds or untreated controls and recovered as
worms, regardless of worm size) were compared by the chi-
square test, Yates' correction (Siegel 1956). Differences were
considered to be significant when P_<.0.05. To take into account
differences in the numbers of birds used in the various experi-
ments and to provide a uniform parameter for comparing the
efficiency of the drug at various doses, recovery figures were
transformed into percentages using a mean index with the for-
mula:
a-b
- - x 100 = % efficacy,
a
656 I.E.M. Nurelhuda et al. : Effects of praziquantel on Raillietina tetragona

where a is the mean n u m b e r of worms in a control group and as previously observed with a variety of cestodes
b, the mean n u m b e r in the respective treated birds. in other animal species and man (Roberson 1982).
The 5% parasite survival in birds treated at
2.5 mg/kg is in fact accounted for by the recovery
Results and discussion
of three worms from a single bird. However, the
The results show that praziquantel given orally growth of these worms, as indicated by biomass
completely eliminates immature R. tetragona at figures (Table 2), was retarded. A single worm sur-
any of three doses (10, 7.5, and 5 mg/kg body wt.; vived treatment at 5 mg/kg (Table 2); it weighed
Table 1), leaving no remnant scolices from which just 1 rag, whereas its analogous (31-day-old) con-
strobilae might regenerate. The compound was trols reached a weight of 23 rag. This finding sug-
found to be 100%, 97.1%, and 95% efficacious gests an almost complete suppression of parasite
when tested against mature worms at 10, 5, and growth. Such an adverse effect of praziquantel on
2.5 mg/kg, respectively (Table 2). In this respect, residual worms, by repression of the normal pro-
the drug seems to be a highly active anthelmintic, cess of strobilization and development in the tape-
worm, may be regarded as advantageous in pre-
venting the propagation of infection to the inter-
Table 1. Activity of praziquantel against immature R. tetragona mediate host.
In addition to its potent anticestodal activity,
Trial Bird N u m b e r Total Drug Worms Effi- praziquantel appears to be well tolerated by chick-
num- group of larvae dose/kg" recov- cacy
bet birds given (mg) ered b (%)
ens. Treated birds showed no clinical reaction at
any of the doses tested.
1 T 4 80 10 0 100
C 4 80 - 52 - Acknowledgements. We wish to t h a n k Dr. M. Awad-Elkarim,
May & Baker (Sudan), for the free supply of praziquantel
2 T 3 45 7.5 0 100
(Droncit), which he obtained directly from M/S Bayer.
C 3 45 - 13 -
3 T 6 48 7.5 0 100
C 8 64 - 33 - References
4 T 10 200 5 0 100
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a Given on day 7 of infection
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T, treated birds; C, untreated controls
Elowni EE (1984) The significance of cestode infections in
chickens. Sudan J Vet Sci Anim Husb 24:133-135
Moskey HE, Harwood PD (1941) Methods of evaluating the
Table 2. Activity of praziquantel against mature R. tetragona
efficacy of anthelmintics. A m J Vet Res 2:55-59
Roberson EL (1982) Anticestodal and antitrematodal drugs.
Trial Bird Num- Total Drug Worms M e a n Effi-
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C 6 120 - 76 22.3 - Thomas H, G 6 n n e r t R (1978) The efficacy of praziquantel
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" Given on day 17 of infection 24: 20-25
b T vs C, P < 0 . 0 0 1 in all comparisons. Necropsy on day 31
of infection
T, treated birds; C, untreated controls Accepted March 1, 1989