Equine verminous arteritis; efficiency and speed of larvicidal acitivty as influenced by dosage of albendazole.

Albendazole was effective in destroying Strongylus vulgaris larvae in verminous lesions of the cranial mesenteric artery when administered as a 20% suspension by stomach tube to ponies. Fifty mg/kg body weight administered twice a day for 2 days caused death and gradual disintegration of larvae over a period of 3 to 6 weeks with mild toxic signs appearing in 3 of 11 ponies. Higher total doses of albendazole (50 mg/kg twice a day for 4 days and 25 mg/kg three times a day for 5 days) lead to more rapid disintegration of the larvae but fatal toxicity was observed in 3 of 6 ponies so treated. In all cases, resolution of verminous arterial lesions was delayed until larva remains had disappeared from the lesions. A non-parametric analysis was applied to combined radiographic, pathologic and parasitologic observations and data for testing their statistical significance