Concentrated Fouadin in Treatment of Schistosomiasis Japonica in Rabbits

Khalil et al. 1 and Khalil 2 found that fouadin—antimony III-pyrocatechin-disulphate of sodium—was very efficacious against bilharziasis. Lee 3 and Lee and Chung, 4 however, did not obtain the same result in Schistosomiasis japonica. For treatment of this disease, a related compound of calcium salt called “Concentrated Fouadin”, has been manufactured. Apart from its composition, the new drug is said to differ from fouadin in being more concentrated and less irritating. It contains 11% of antimony III-pyrocatechin-disulphate of sodium and calcium and is issued in ampoules. Each cc. of the solution has 14.3 mg. of Sb. III and 7 mg. of calcium.

To obtain experimental subjects, young rabbits of 1.5 to 2 kg. in weight were infected with the fork-tailed cercariae of S. japonicum. On the discovery of the ova in the feces, the animals were given 6 weekly intramuscular injections of Concentrated Fouadin until the eggs disappeared or died as determined by the hatching test. During treatment, particular attention was paid to the daily weights and to the appearance of toxic symptoms as a guide to the regulation of dosage. Thus it was found that the following scheme of administrations was well tolerated: an initial dose of 0.15 cc. followed by 0.25 cc. and 0.3 cc. for the second, third and subsequent injections respectively.

The effects of the drugs were judged from the findings at autopsy when the condition of the lungs, the liver and intestine was noted and the blood vessels in the lungs, the portal and mesenteric veins and inferior vena cava were searched for the presence of the worms. Tissues of the lungs, liver and intestine were also examined under a trichinia press to observe the condition of the ova.