Abstract
The administration of three consecutive daily doses of the recommended 1x dose of Drontal® Plus flavour tablets (Bayer) was examined for its effect on Giardia sp. cyst-shedding in 7 treated and 7 untreated random-source dogs. Dogs were treated on study days 0, 1 and 2. Cysts were quantified using direct immunofluorescent labelling on days –7, –5, –3 and –2, and daily from day 1 through 11. Three treated dogs never shed cysts again during the study, one shed again only on day 4, and the remaining three dogs started to shed again on days 8, 9 and 11. The mean numbers of cysts per gramme in the faeces of the treated dogs were significantly reduced (t-tests using log10(counts)) on days 1 and 2 (geometric means: controls = 447,000; treated = 1,050; p = 0.004) and days 3 to 8 (geometric means: controls = 23,400; treated 5.0; p < 0.001). Four controls that had been consistently positive, changed to negative status on day 11, and thus, on the final day of the trial, there were only three positive control and three positive treated dogs. Three consecutive days of treatment with Drontal® Plus flavour tablets halted Giardia sp. cyst shedding by dogs. But starting six days post third treatment, some of the dogs started shedding cysts again. Since the prepatent period of Giardia sp. can be as short as 4 days, shedding of Giardia sp. cysts 6 days after treatment could be caused by a reinfection.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barr SC, Bowman DD, Frongillo MF, Joseph SL (1998) Efficacy of a drug combination of praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate, and febantel against giardiasis in dogs. Am J Vet Res 59:1134–1136
Barr SC, Bowman DD (2006) 5-Minute consult–clinical infectious diseases of dogs and cats. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, IA, p 628
Barutzki D, Schimmel A, Schaper R (2002) Efficacy of pyrantel embonate, febantel and praziquantel against Giardia spp. in naturally infected dogs. In: Oslon BE, Olson ME, Wallis PM (eds) Giardia–the cosmopolitan parasite. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, pp 177–180
Beaver PC, Jung RC, Cupp EW (1984) Flagellate protozoa of the digestive and urogenital tracts. In: Clinical parasitology, 9th edn. Leas & Febiger, Philadelphia, PA, Ch. 9, pp. 45–46.
Bellosa ML, Liotta JL, Rishniw M, Bowman DD, Simpson KW. Comparison of 4 Giardia diagnostic tests in diagnosis of naturally-acquired canine chronic subclinical giardiasis. J Vet Int Med, submitted.
Bowman DD, Charles S, Heine J (2007) Efficacy of Drontal® Plus flavour (50 mg praziquantel, 144 mg pyrantel embonate, 150 mg febantel per tablet) against Giardia sp. in naturally infected dogs. II. International Giardia and Crypto spor idium Conference, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, May 13–18, 2007.
Bowman DD, Lucio-Forster A (2009) Cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in dogs and cats: veterinary and public health importance. Exp Parasitol doi:10.1016/j.exppara.2009.01.003.
Carlin ES, Bowman DD, Scarlett JM (2006) Prevalence of Giardia in symptomatic dogs and cats in the United States. Comp Contin Educ Pract Vet 28:1–12
Decock C, Cadiergues MC, Roques M, Franc M (2003) Evaluation de quatre traitements de la giardiose canine. Rev Med Vet 154:763–766
Giangaspero A, Traldi G, Paoletti B, Traversa D, Bianciardi P (2002) Efficacy of pyrantel embonate, febantel and praziquantel against Giardia species in naturally infected adult dogs. In: Olson BE, Olson ME, Wallis PM (eds) Giardia – the cosmopolitan parasite. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, pp 181–185
Isaac-Renton JL, Lewis LF, Ong CS, Nulsen MF (1994) A second community outbreak of waterborne giardiasis in Canada and serological investigation of patients. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 88:395–399
Kirkpatrick CE (1987) Giardiasis. Vet Clin N Am. Sm Anim Pract 17:1377–1387
Montoya A, Dado D, Mateo M, Espinosa C, Miró G (2008) Efficacy of Drontal® flavour Plus (50 mg praziquantel, 144 mg pyrantel embonate, 150 mg febantel per tablet) against Giardia sp. in naturally infected dogs. Parasitol Res 103:1141–1144
Payne PA, Ridley RK, Dryden MW, Bathgate C, Milliken GA, Stewart PW (2002) Efficacy of a combination febantel-praziquantel-pyrantel product, with or without vaccination with a commercial Giardia vaccine, for treatment of dogs with naturally occurring giardiasis. J Am Vet Med Assoc 220:330–333
Robertson LJ, Forberg T, Gjerde BK (2008) Giardia cysts in sewage influent in Bergen, Norway 15–23 months after an extensive waterborne outbreak of giardiasis. J Appl Microbiol 104:1147–1152
Villeneuve V, Beugnet F, Bourdoiseau G (2000) Efficacy of oxfendazole for the treatment of giardiosis in dogs. Experiments in dog breeding kennels. Parasite 7:221–226
Zajac AM, Labranche TP, Donoghue AR, Chu TC (1998) Efficacy of fenbendazole in the treatment of experimental Giardia infection in dogs. Am J Vet Res 59:61–63
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bowman, D.D., Liotta, J.L., Ulrich, M. et al. Treatment of Naturally Occurring, Asymptomatic Giardia sp. in Dogs with Drontal® Plus Flavour Tablets. Parasitol Res 105 (Suppl 1), 125–134 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1503-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1503-0