Evaluation therapeutic effects of antihelminthic agents albendazole, fenbendazole and praziquantel against coenurosis in sheep

Coenurosis is a rare infection caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm, Taenia multiceps (also referred to as Coenurus cerebralis), a platyhelminth belonging to class Cestoda. The adults of Taenia spp. live in the intestines of dogs and other canines and discharge eggs in their feces, which are then ingested by grazing animals, usually sheep. Oncospheres escape from the eggs and form coenuri in various tissues, localization in the central nervous system (CNS) of sheep causes coenurosis or the “staggers.” In this survey, antihelminthic agents (albendazole, praziquantel, fenbendazole) were tested for their effectiveness in treating coenurosis in naturally infected sheep which were given different doses of these agents. The autopsy revealed degeneration (calcification) of the cysts in the brains of treated animals; while the cysts in the untreated sheep were viable. This study showed that the best results were obtained by using albendazole at a dosage of 25 mg/kg and composed fenbendazole + praziquantel at a dose of 0.5 g for each affected lamb, along with praziquantel at a dose of 100 mg/kg. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.