CHEMOTHERAPY OF FILARIASIS IN THE COTTON RAT BY ADMINISTRATION OF NEOSTAM AND OF NEOSTIBOSAN

¹ From the Departments of Bacteriology and Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York

The repeated injection of neostam or of neostibosan to cotton rats infected with the filarial worm Litomosoides carinii kills the adult parasites which occur in the pleural space of the animals and leads to the gradual disappearance of microfilariae from the peripheral blood. Even a single dose (40 mgm.) of one of these drugs (neostam) has proved sufficient to eliminate the parasite from some animals.

The adult parasites appear to be decidedly more susceptible to the action of neostam or of neostibosan than are the microfilariae, for within two weeks from the beginning of treatment, the adult worms are usually dead although the numbers of microfilaria in the tail blood at this time are essentially the same as before treatment began.

Neostam and neostibosan in concentrations of from 1 to 5 mg. per cent or more kill adult Litomosoides carinii in vitro after approximately four days at 37°C.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. D. Welch, L. Peters, E. Bueding, A. Valk Jr., and A. Higashi A New Class of Antifilarial Compounds Science, May 9, 1947; 105(2732): 486 - 488. [PDF]