ABSTRACT
The relation between the dosage and plasma level of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) in jirds and hamsters was examined by gas-liquid chromatography. When the drug was given intraperitoneally to jirds at 100 mg/kg body weight, the plasma level rose rapidly and reached the maximum level (20-25 micrograms/ml) at 10 minutes and afterwards fell quickly to undetectable level at 4 hours. Even if larger dosage (300 mg/kg) was given, DEC was eliminated completely from the blood circulation within 8 hours. When the same dosages of DEC were given intraperitoneally, the DEC levels remained 2-4 hours longer in the blood of hamsters than in the blood of jirds. DEC given by stomach intubation at 100 mg/kg remained detectable much longer in hamsters (8 hrs) than in jirds (2 hrs). A repeated doses schedule did not show a tendency for the drug to accumulate. DEC was excreted in the urine and feces, but the total amount of drug excreted without metabolic changes was only about 8% of the given dosage. The majority of unmetabolized DEC was excreted in the urine within 0-12 hours.
Subject(s)
Administration, Oral , Animals , Cricetinae , Diethylcarbamazine/administration & dosage , Feces/analysis , Gerbillinae , Injections, IntraperitonealABSTRACT
The susceptibility of inbred GN and APG hamsters to Brugia pahangi infection was studied. Male GN hamsters infected subcutaneously with 100 infective larvae showed 100% patency with the average prepatent period of 69 days. The average microfilarial density was 148/40 c.mm at 26 weeks and reached 1,000/40 c.mm at days 280. The rate of adult recovery was as high as 36%. Most worms were recovered from the heart and lungs (46%) and testes (40%). The male GN hamster-B. pahangi model could be a good substitution for the jird-B. pahangi model. Female GN and male APG hamsters seemed to be less susceptible than male GN hamsters. However, they could still be a better alternative to outbred hamsters due to their high rates of patency (92 and 100%), relatively high microfilarial densities (31 and 39/40 c.mm at 26 weeks) and reasonable rates of adult recovery (23.5 and 17.2%).