Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treating Chagas disease in dogs with nitazoxanide and electrolyzed
By Olivia Rodríguez-Morales et al.·Published in Pharmaceutics·2023·Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Proteomics, Department of Molecular Biology of Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Effectiveness of Nitazoxanide and Electrolyzed Oxiding Water in Treating Chagas Disease in a Canine Model
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Náhuatl dogs infected with Chagas disease (caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi) was treated with either nitazoxanide or electrolyzed oxidizing water for 10 days. After 12 months, the dogs treated with nitazoxanide showed better immune responses and less heart damage compared to those treated with electrolyzed water. While neither treatment completely prevented heart issues, nitazoxanide was more effective in reducing the severity of heart damage. This suggests that nitazoxanide could be a promising option for treating Chagas disease in dogs.
People also search for: dog Chagas disease treatment · nitazoxanide for dogs · electrolyzed water for dog infections
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the protozoan <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>, and affects seven million people in Latin America. Side effects and the limited efficacy of current treatment have led to new drug research. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of nitazoxanide (NTZ) and electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) in a canine model of experimental CD. Náhuatl dogs were infected with the <i>T. cruzi</i> H8 strain and NTZ- or EOW-treated orally for 10 days. Seronegativity was shown at 12 months post-infection (mpi) in the NTZ-, EOW-, and benznidazole (BNZ)-treated groups. The NTZ and BNZ groups had high levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12B, and IL-1β at 1.5 mpi and low levels of IL-10. Electrocardiographic studies showed alterations from 3 mpi and worsening at 12 mpi; NTZ treatment produced fewer cardiac pathomorphological changes compared to EOW, similar to BNZ treatment. There was no cardiomegaly in any group. In conclusion, although NTZ and EOW did not prevent changes in cardiac conductivity, they were able to avoid the severity of heart damage in the chronic phase of CD. NTZ induced a favorable proinflammatory immune response after infection, being a better option than EOW as a possible treatment for CD after BNZ.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15051479