Antitrypanosomal Activity of Quinapyramine Sulphate and Diminazene Diaceturate against T. evansi in Experimentally Infected Wistar Albino Rats

Abstract

Trypansoma evansi causes an important disease of camel called Surra which is transmitted mechanically by various tabanids and other flies. Surra causes economic losses from decreased productivity in working animals, reduced weight gain, decreased milk yield, reproductive losses and the cost of treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of quinapyramine sulphate compared with diminazene diaceturate in the treatment of T. evansi isolated from camel in Wistar albino rats. Twenty rats were divided into four groups ( I, II, III, & IV), group I was kept as normal control, group II as a positive control, group III as a standard drug control, rats were treated with diminazenediaceturate at a dose of 3.5 mg/kg bw subcutaneously at day 4 of parasitaemia, while group IV was treated with the test drug quinapyraminesulphate at a dose of 3g/600-1000 kg bw subcutaneously at day 4 of parasitaemia. Parasitaemia was investigated daily using wet smear method. The level of parasitaemia in treated groups were compared with uninfected untreated rats. The results indicated that quinapyraminesulphatehas low efficacy against T. evansi compared to diminazenediaceturate used as a standard drug. However the parasitaemia of quinapyraminesulphate group increased significantly (p< 0.05) than the parasitaemia of infected untreated group. Diminazenediaceturate produced significant efficacy which indicated by the sharp clearance of parasite from the blood from day one of treatment till the end of experiment. Infected untreated control rats produced significant decrease(p< 0.05) in Packed Cell Volume (PCV) compared tonormal control and other groups. It is concluded that T. evansi showed high level of resistance againstantitrypanosomal drug; quinapyramine sulphate compared to diminazene diaceturate in rats. Clinical trials are recommended to evaluate the efficacy of quinapyraminesulphate in camel, horses and other livestock.