THE EFFECT OF COTRIMOXAZOLE ON EXPERIMENTAL CRYPTOSPORIDIUM-PARVUM INFECTION IN KIDS

The prophylactic and therapeutic effects of the folic acid inhibitor c otrimoxazole (trimethoprim in combination with sulfamethoxazole) was t ested in goat kids experimentally infected with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. Of the twenty-four 6-day-old kids inoculated with 6 x 10(6) oocysts of C parvum, ten kids were administered cotrimoxazole prophyla ctically at a dose 20 mg/kg per day of trimethoprim/100 mg/kg per day of sulfamethoxazole for 14 consecutive days beginning 1 day before inf ection. Six kids were therapeutically treated at the same dose of cotr imoxazole for 9 consecutive days beginning 5 days post infection, and eight kids served as untreated controls. Experimental C parvum infecti on caused a severe clinical disease with profuse watery diarrhea, oocy sts shedding and intestinal lesions in all groups of kids. Total days and severity of diarrhea were similar for all groups of kids. However, the mean duration of oocysts shedding, mean number of cryptosporidia per ileal villus, and distribution of cryptosporidia in the intestine were increased in both groups of cotrimoxazole-treated kids. These fin dings indicate that cotrimoxazole failed to control cryptosporidiosis.