THE EFFICACY OF UMF-078 ON ACANTHOCHEILONEMA-VITEAE AND LITOMOSOIDES-SIGMODONTIS IN MERIONES-UNGUICULATUS

UMF 078, a new benzimidazole analogue of Flubendazole, was tested on j irds infected with the filarial parasites Acanthocheilonema viteae and Litomosoides sigmodontis respectively. A total of 19 jirds, eight sub cutaneously inoculated with infective larvae of A. viteae and eleven w ith L. sigmodontis infective larvae, were used in this study. UMF 078 had both microfilaricidal and macrofilaricidal activities against both parasites. Blood microfilariae were completely eliminated in the two treated groups by day 56 post-treatment. Very few adult worms were rec overed, and in both groups all the worms recovered were abnormal. In L . sigmodontis however, microfilariae were detected in various organs/f luids (peritoneal fluid, pleural cavity fluid, lungs) on autopsy of th e jirds.