Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Enrofloxacin alone or with metronidazole for treating dog
By Bianciardi, Paolo et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2004·DVM, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The efficacy of enrofloxacin, alone or combined with metronidazole, in the therapy of canine leishmaniasis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 36 dogs diagnosed with leishmaniasis (a disease caused by a parasite) were treated to see how effective the antibiotic enrofloxacin was, both alone and with another drug called metronidazole. While enrofloxacin didn't directly kill the parasite in lab tests, it did help boost the immune response in the dogs. Many of the dogs showed improvement in their skin lesions after treatment, especially when enrofloxacin was used alongside a specific anti-leishmanial medication. This suggests that enrofloxacin could be a helpful part of the treatment plan for dogs with leishmaniasis.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis treatment · enrofloxacin for dogs · skin lesions in dogs · metronidazole for dog parasites
Abstract
We evaluated the efficacy of enrofloxacin, alone or combined with metronidazole, against Leishmania infantum. The in vitro activity of this fluoroquinolone was assessed using two different methods: a direct test aimed at assessing the drug activity on the parasite, and an indirect test aimed at evaluating the drug effect on macrophage killing, lymphomonocyte activation and nitric oxide production. An in vivo test was also performed on 36 dogs with leishmaniasis, subdivided into three groups, one treated with enrofloxacin, another with enrofloxacin plus metronidazole, and a control group with meglumine antimoniate. The direct test did not show any action of enrofloxacin on the parasite, while the indirect testing showed an enhancement of macrophage killing and an increase in nitric oxide production. These findings show that enrofloxacin does not exert a direct anti-leishmanial activity in vitro. However, on the basis of the positive immunostimulation results shown in vitro and the clinical improvement, particularly of the cutaneous lesions, obtained in several dogs in the in vivo trial, the use of enrofloxacin in association with a specific anti-leishmanial drug can be proposed in the therapeutic protocol of canine leishmaniasis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15278443/