Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Official Journal of Pharmacotherpy Group
 
Home Pharmacotherapy Group African Journals Online
 

Comparative in-vitro studies on the efficacy of ivermectin against gastrointestinal sheep nematode

 

Isaiah O  Ademola1 Benjamin O Fagbemi1  Olakunle S Idowu2

1Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and 2Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

 

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 2003; 2(2): 235-239

Abstract  Full Text

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the relative efficacy of various brands of ivermectin injection available for use in clinical veterinary practice in Nigeria.

Method: Ivermectin injections were evaluated by a larval development assay (LDVA), using the larvae of Strongyles (predominantly Haemonchus contortus) of sheep. The effect of standard solutions of the drug from the various brands on the transformation of L1 to L3 and survival of L3 larvae was used to assess bioactivity. The 50% lethal concentration (LC50) was determined from regression line obtained by probit transformation of the biological data. The LC50 values for each of the brands were compared with that of the innovator brand (Ivomec Superâ) for any significant difference.

Results: The LC50 values obtained for the five brands varied widely. It ranges from 1.1±0.17 ng/ml for the innovator brand to 2.3±0.3, 3.0±0.3, 8.0±0.2 and 17.0±0.3 ng/ml for the other four brands. The biological assays performed on each of the five brands were of comparable precision. LC50 for Ivomec superâ was significantly different from those of the other four brands (Student’s t test, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The bioactivities of brands of ivermectin injections available in Nigeria are significantly different. This is a probable reason for the varied treatment response to various brands of ivermectin injection in veterinary practice in Nigeria. This justifies the need for drug regulatory bodies in Nigeria to ensure that ivermectin injections registered for use in Nigeria meets approved standards before the drugs are allowed to be imported into the country.

 

Key words: Bioactivity, ivermectin, sheep nematode

 

For correspondence:- E-mail: adejanet@yahoo.com Tel: +234-2-8107551

 

 
Copyright @2002-2004. TJPR Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria
Tel: +234 802 3360318 Fax: +234 52 602257 E-mail: okhamafe@uniben.edu erah@uniben.edu p_erah@yahoo.com
 
Last updated: August 30, 2006