High Efficacy of Combined Albendazole and Ivermectin Treatment Against Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Vervet Monkeys and Baboons

Non-human primates (NHPs) are important pre-clinical animal models in biomedical research, mainly through vaccine and drug development for diseases such as schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, malaria and HIV/AIDS, amongst others (Farah et al., 2005). These NHPs harbour a variety of gastrointestinal parasites which can cause blood loss, tissue damage, spontaneous abortion, congenital malformations and death (Gillespie, 2006). Apart from causing clinical disease the nematodes may confound research data and thus it is important that experimental animals be parasites free. Most of the nematodes such as Trichuris trichura are also potentially zoonotic. Previous studies conducted at the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) have recorded a high prevalence of important gastrointestinal helminthes (in up to 65%) and protozoa (up to 30%) in animals in captivity (Muriuki et al., 1998). The main helminth parasites comprise Strongyloides Scand. J. Lab. Anim. Sci. 2010 Vol. 37 No. 4