Ascaris lumbricoides is the most prevalent soil-transmitted helminth infection in humans, afflicting approximately 1.5 billion people and primarily burdening children in poor underdeveloped areas of the world. Synthetic anthelmintics are the current method of treatment; however, resistance could potentially develop. Challenges remain in providing inexpensive deworming treatments that do not require a complex and coordinated infrastructure; functional foods may help overcome this. A controlled study was performed in pigs infected with Ascaris suum, an important porcine pathogen closely resembling A. lumbricoides,to determine the efficacy of two microencapsulated essential oil blends, TTN1013 and TTN1014, as functional food compounds. Sixty-four Yorkshire-cross pigs aged 21�24 days were randomly assigned to one of four groups: TTN1013 at a dose rate of 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, TTN1014 at 1.0 mg/kg, or 1.0 mg/kg equivalent of empty capsules (placebo). Treatments were administered daily through week 10 inside cream-filled sandwich cookies. Pigs were inoculated with A. suum eggs 5 days/week for four weeks (20 eggs/kg/week) beginning three days post initial treatment. Pigs were necropsied during week 11. All worms were recovered, counted, measured for length and volume and separated according to sex. Fecal egg counts (FEC) were conducted weekly starting at week 6. Data were analyzed using a Poisson regression model accounting for group-dependent over-dispersion. TTN1013 at 1.0 mg/kg yielded a significant reduction in total (77%) and female (76%) worm counts, FEC (69%), and worm volume (63%) compared to the placebo. A dose dependent effect for TTN1013 was observed for these parameters, but differences at 0.5 mg/kg were not significant. TTN1014 did not have a significant effect. All pigs remained clinically normal and showed no adverse reactions or signs of reduced intestinal health. Based on these results, TTN1013 at 1.0 mg/kg shows promise as a daily supplement to reduce Ascaris infection in pigs and possibly humans.

Mode of action and anthelmintic activity of novel plant-based functional food additives

246th National Meeting (2013)

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