Ascaris lumbricoides is the most prevalent soil-transmitted helminth (STH)
infection of human beings worldwide.
Chemotherapy with synthetic
anthelmintics such as
albendazole,
mebendazole, and
pyrantel pamoate is the current method of treatment; however, the emergence of
anthelmintic resistance could substantially decrease the efficacy of such treatments and the sustainability of STH control programs. Additionally,
benzimidazoles are not recommended for pregnant women or children under age one. A blinded, controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two microencapsulated, plant-based
essential oil blends, TTN1013 (α-pinene,
linalyl acetate,
p-cymene, and
thymol octanoate) and TTN1014 (α-pinene,
linalyl acetate,
p-cymene, and
thymol acetate) as functional foods against Ascaris suum
infection in pigs, an important pathogen that closely resembles human
infections with A. lumbricoides. Four groups of 16 female, 21-24 day old, Yorkshire-cross pigs were treated daily with 0.5 or 1.0mg/kg TTN1013, 1.0mg/kg TTN1014, or 1.0mg/kg equivalent of empty capsules, delivered inside a cream-filled sandwich cookie for 14 weeks. Three days after the initiation of daily treatments, pigs were inoculated daily with A. suum eggs for four weeks. Pigs were weighed weekly and fecal egg counts (FEC) were conducted weekly starting five weeks after initial inoculation with A. suum eggs. Fourteen weeks after first
infection with eggs, pigs were necropsied and worms were recovered, counted and separated according to sex. TTN1013 administered daily at a dose of 1.0mg/kg yielded a statistically significant reduction in total worm counts (76.8%), female worm counts (75.5%), FEC (68.6%), and worm volume (62.9%) when compared to control group. Reduction of total and female worm numbers and FEC were not significant for TTN1014 or at the 0.5mg/kg dose of TTN1013. All treatments were well-tolerated by all pigs and did not cause any adverse reactions. All pigs remained clinically normal and showed no signs of reduced intestinal health for the
duration of treatment. Based on these results, TTN1013 shows promise as a daily supplement to reduce
infection burdens of soil transmitted helminths in both pigs and human beings.