Comparative study of the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of paromomycin, recombinant IL-12 alone or in combination against cryptosporidium parvum infection in immunosuppressed mice

ABSTRACT

The administration of paromomycin [100 mg/kg orally] for ten days, rIL-12 [0.5 ug/mouse s.c.] for three consecutive days or their combination was evaluated before and after infection with C. Parvum using immunosuppressed mice model. A total of 110 suckling albino mice were immunosuppressed by hydrocortisone acetate and infected with 106 Cryptosporidium oocysts. An assessment of drug efficacy was done by the estimation of the oocyst count in stool using modified Ziehl- Neelsen technique, histopathological examination of terminal ileum and determination of the serum level of IFN-gamma and calculation of the cure rate. The combination of paromomycin and rIL-12 was more effective than either drug alone. The cure rate was 86.7% when the regimen was used prophylactically and 73.3% when the combination was administered. Regression of the histopathological changes in comparison with the control group was noted