TURKISH JOURNAL OF VETERINARY & ANIMAL SCIENCES, cilt.27, sa.5, ss.1057-1063, 2003 (SCI-Expanded)
Toxocara canis is a nematode of the family Ascaridae. Following ingestion by dogs, the infective eggs hatch and larvae penetrate the gut wall and migrate into various tissues. There are two main clinical forms of T. canis infection; visceral larva migrans and ocular larva migrans. Toxocariasis is treated with antiparasitic drugs, such as diethylcarbamazine, albendazole and mebendazole. In this study, the effects of albendazole treatment on haematological and biochemical changes in healthy and T. canis infected mice were evaluated. Four study groups were used: Group 1 was assigned as the control, Group 2 was given infective T. canis eggs (as 1500 infective eggs), Group 3 was given albendazole (as 100 mg/kg b.w.) and Group 4 was given T. canis and albendazole. Total leukocyte counts, total eosinophil counts, differential leukocyte counts in the blood; and urea, creatine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities in serum were determined on days 8, 15 and 28. The data obtained from this study show that total leukocyte counts and total eosinophil counts increased significantly in T. canis infected mice. These increases were observed in Group 2 in particular. Albendazole treatment in T. canis infected mice prevented these increases to some degree. In addition, enzyme activities in serum changed with T. canis infection, but these changes were not statistically significant.