W. Campbell, T. Barry
Apr 1, 1970
Citations
0
Influential Citations
10
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
The Journal of parasitology
Abstract
Experiments were conducted in rats to determine whether the concentration of serum glu- tamic oxalo-acetic transaminase (SGOT) could serve as an indicator of hepatic damage caused by imma- ture Fasciola hepatica. The concentration of SGOT was greatly elevated in rats examined 3 weeks after oral inoculation with 30 metacercariae each, and elevated to a lesser extent in rats given 15 metacercariae. Treatment of 3-week-old infections with several classes of known fasciolicidal agents resulted in a return to normal or near normal SGOT concentration within 1 week. (The SGOT con- centration did not decrease in rats treated with clioxanide, which has been reported inactive against F. hepatica in the rat.) Since there appeared to be a clear correlation between the reduction in SGOT and the time and dosage of anthelmintic treatment, it is suggested that the SGOT assay de- scribed would constitute a useful method for detecting compounds effective against liver fluke.