dc.contributor.author | Mainah, Robert M | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-05-22T12:44:51Z | |
dc.date.available | 2013-05-22T12:44:51Z | |
dc.date.issued | 1990 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/24466 | |
dc.description | Masters of Science Degree in Parasitology | en |
dc.description.abstract | The mainstay treatment of leishmaniasis is pel tavalcnt antimony III the form of
sodium stibogluconate (pentostarn'') and mcglumine antimoniate (glucatime"). The
two drugs have been used with relative success for the last 40 years until recently
when drug resistance was widely recorded. Other drugs used as a second line for the
treatment of leishmaniasis include pentamidine, aminosidine and ampotecirin 13. Just
like antimony, toxicity and drug resistance are the major constraints towards their use.
In this study it was shown that pentostam when used at a high dosage of 200mg/kg
bw/day and 400mg/ kg bw/day was able to reduce the infection rate ill Balb/c mice
suffering from Leishmania major infection. The treatment led to a regression in the
size of the lesion to O.12S±0.02mm (n=10) and 0.006±O.014mm (n=10) by the sixth
week of treatment with 200mg/kg bw/dayand 400J11g/kg bw/duy respectively. Both
dosages were able to eliminate most of the parasites from the liver, spleen and foot
pad and a few parasites- that remained in these regions were usually disintegrated a
sign that the drug had a lethal effect on them.
Sand flies preferred feeding on mice that had not received antimony treatment or mice
that had low antimony levels in blood. The sand flies preferred feeding far away from
the site of antimony infection. feeding preference on the foot pad lesion was lower in
those mice that had received treatment as compared to controls that had received 110
treatment (X2=p<O.OS).
Transmission of Leishmania 1J1(~j(},. occurred during treatment. The rate of
transmission was higher during treatment at a lower dosage of 200mg/kg bw/day as
compared to a dosage of 400mg/kg bw/day. Transmission reduced drastically during
treatment and there was minimal transmission rates hy the 30th day of treatment.
The infectivity of the sand flies after feeding 011 the infected mice Oil treatment also
reduced drastically with advanced treatment of the infected mice. The rate of
reduction of infectivity was higher 011 sand flies that fed on infected mice at a higher
dosage of 400mglkg bw/day as compared to those that fed 011 infected mice at a lower
dosage of200mg/kg bw/day.
This study shows that although Pentostarn" reduces the level of parasitaemia in Balb/c
mice, transmission still occurs, however the level of transmission during treatment is
dependent on the dosage of the drug and the time of treatment. | en |
dc.language.iso | en | en |
dc.title | Evaluation of leishmania major transmission by phlebotomus duboscqi in balb/c mice during sodium stibogluconate (pentostam) treatment. | en |
dc.type | Thesis | en |
local.publisher | School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi | en |