THE EFFECT OF DIMINAZENE ACETURATE ON CHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY IN DOGSWITH CANINE BABESIOSIS

A clinical trial was designed to evaluate the effects of diminazene ac eturate and its stabiliser antipyrine on serum pseudocholinesterase (P ChE) and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase (RBC AChE) in dogs with b abesiosis. The trial was conducted on naturally occurring, uncomplicat ed cases of babesiosis (n = 20) that were randomly allocated to groups receiving a standard therapeutic dose of diminazene aceturate with an tipyrine stabiliser (n = 10) or antipyrine alone (n = 10). Blood was d rawn immediately before and every 15 minutes for 1 hour after treatmen t. Plasma PChE showed a 4 % decrease between 0 and 60 min within the t reatment group (p < 0.05). NO statistically significant differences we re found between the treatment and control groups at any of the time i ntervals for PChE. There was an increase in RBC AChE activity at 15 mi n in the treatment group (p < 0.05). No significant differences were f ound between the treatment and control groups at any time interval for RBC AChE. In view of the difference in PChE, samples from additional, new cases (n = 10) of canine babesiosis were collected to identify th e affect of the drug over 12 hours. No significant depression was iden tified over this time interval. The results suggests that the underlyi ng mechanism in producing side-effects, when they do occur, is unlikel y to be through cholinesterase depression.