| Summary: | Objective: To investigate leucocyte mobilization, acid phosphatase and acetylcholinesterase activities during ivermectin therapy for onchocerciasis, to shed light on the mechanism underlying the involvement of the host's immune system.
Method: A single oral dose of ivermectin (300 g/kg) was administered to 78 subjects (42 patients and 36 non-infected) aged between 14 and 40 years. Blood samples were collected from the subjects prior to the administration of the drug at 3, 7 and 14 days post-treatment.
Results: There was no significant increase (P>0.05) in all the blood cell types throughout the study period. Significant increases (P<0.05) were observed in mean neutrophil and eosinophil counts on day 3 and days 0, 3, 7, and 14, respectively in the patients than in the controls. Mean lymphocyte counts were also significantly decreased (p<0.05) on days 3, 7 and 14 in the patients than in the controls. Both acid phosphatase and acetylcholinesterase activities were not significantly altered (p>0.05) throughout the study period.
Conclusion: Killing of microfilariae by radicals generated from neutrophils; and the enhancement of eosinophils against Onchocerca volvulus after treatment with ivermectin is hereby suggested.
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