Evaluation of the protective capacity of Toxocara canis embryonated egg antigen in rabbits

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University

Abstract

Toxocariasis is a disease of unspecific clinical manifestations in human beings and some animals forming a condition known as visceral larva migerans. Effective Toxocara canis (T. canis) control should destroy the dormant hypobiotic larvae in the tissues of the reservoir hosts. Embyonated egg antigen is intended to be evaluated in rabbits where15 New Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups; immunized group that injected with three doses of T. canis egg antigen (First dose with complete Freund's and two successive doses with incomplete Freund’s  adjuvant); control infected group and adjuvant control group. At 30th day from the beginning of the experiment, all groups were infected with 10,000 T. canis embryonated egg. Blood samples were collected periodically for measuring antibodies titer by ELISA. Postmortem and histopathological investigations were done. The efficacy of egg antigen protective immunity was evaluated by; the positive antibody titer, retention of larvae in the liver, hepatic eosinophilic granuloma formation, number of the milky spots on the liver surface and lung resistance to the infection. These parameters were detected obviously in the immunized group than the non immunized ones. Consequently, production of this product is recommended where its preparation is simple, easy, fast and economic and may be used as role of vaccine program against the parasite infection in the
susceptible hosts. 

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