A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>)
Avian malaria is a re-emerging threat to avian species worldwide. It is sustained by several protozoan species belonging to the genus <i>Plasmodium</i>, mainly <i>Plasmodium relictum</i>. The even wider diffusion of the disease, probably because of the increase in the areas c...
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3457 |
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| author | Nicola Pugliese Rossella Samarelli Roberto Lombardi Antonella Schiavone Giuseppe Crescenzo Elena Circella Claudia Zizzadoro Olimpia Lai Medhat S. Saleh Michela Prioletti Antonio Camarda |
| author_facet | Nicola Pugliese Rossella Samarelli Roberto Lombardi Antonella Schiavone Giuseppe Crescenzo Elena Circella Claudia Zizzadoro Olimpia Lai Medhat S. Saleh Michela Prioletti Antonio Camarda |
| author_sort | Nicola Pugliese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Avian malaria is a re-emerging threat to avian species worldwide. It is sustained by several protozoan species belonging to the genus <i>Plasmodium</i>, mainly <i>Plasmodium relictum</i>. The even wider diffusion of the disease, probably because of the increase in the areas covered by their mosquito vectors, may pose new risks for avian species lacking natural resistance (especially those from artic or sub-artic environments) or those hosted in structures like zoos and wildlife rescue centers. With that premise, this study describes the efficacy and safety of a therapeutic protocol to treat avian malaria in three snowy owls (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) hosted in a wildlife rescue center in Apulia, south of Italy, and affected by avian malaria by <i>P. relictum</i>. The protocol consisted of administering 10/4 mg/kg atovaquone/proguanil per os once a day for three consecutive days, repeating this seven days later. Seven days after the end of the treatment, <i>P. relictum</i> was not detected in the birds’ blood and no adverse effects were observed during the 60 days of monitoring after the end of the treatment. Therefore, a therapeutic regimen of 10/4 mg/kg/day may be considered safe and effective in a valuable and endangered species such as <i>B. scandiacus</i>. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:05:09Z |
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| id | doaj.art-13e343840443487fb57dfdee186b4bca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:05:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-13e343840443487fb57dfdee186b4bca2023-11-24T14:24:35ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-11-011322345710.3390/ani13223457A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>)Nicola Pugliese0Rossella Samarelli1Roberto Lombardi2Antonella Schiavone3Giuseppe Crescenzo4Elena Circella5Claudia Zizzadoro6Olimpia Lai7Medhat S. Saleh8Michela Prioletti9Antonio Camarda10Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyDipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, ItalyAvian malaria is a re-emerging threat to avian species worldwide. It is sustained by several protozoan species belonging to the genus <i>Plasmodium</i>, mainly <i>Plasmodium relictum</i>. The even wider diffusion of the disease, probably because of the increase in the areas covered by their mosquito vectors, may pose new risks for avian species lacking natural resistance (especially those from artic or sub-artic environments) or those hosted in structures like zoos and wildlife rescue centers. With that premise, this study describes the efficacy and safety of a therapeutic protocol to treat avian malaria in three snowy owls (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) hosted in a wildlife rescue center in Apulia, south of Italy, and affected by avian malaria by <i>P. relictum</i>. The protocol consisted of administering 10/4 mg/kg atovaquone/proguanil per os once a day for three consecutive days, repeating this seven days later. Seven days after the end of the treatment, <i>P. relictum</i> was not detected in the birds’ blood and no adverse effects were observed during the 60 days of monitoring after the end of the treatment. Therefore, a therapeutic regimen of 10/4 mg/kg/day may be considered safe and effective in a valuable and endangered species such as <i>B. scandiacus</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3457avian malaria<i>Plasmodium relictum</i><i>Bubo scandiacus</i>efficacy safetyatovaquoneproguanil |
| spellingShingle | Nicola Pugliese Rossella Samarelli Roberto Lombardi Antonella Schiavone Giuseppe Crescenzo Elena Circella Claudia Zizzadoro Olimpia Lai Medhat S. Saleh Michela Prioletti Antonio Camarda A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) Animals avian malaria <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> <i>Bubo scandiacus</i> efficacy safety atovaquone proguanil |
| title | A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) |
| title_full | A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) |
| title_fullStr | A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) |
| title_short | A Safe and Effective Atovaquone-Proguanil Therapeutic Protocol for the Treatment of Avian Malaria by <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> in Snowy Owl (<i>Bubo scandiacus</i>) |
| title_sort | safe and effective atovaquone proguanil therapeutic protocol for the treatment of avian malaria by i plasmodium relictum i in snowy owl i bubo scandiacus i |
| topic | avian malaria <i>Plasmodium relictum</i> <i>Bubo scandiacus</i> efficacy safety atovaquone proguanil |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3457 |
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