EFFECTS OF EXTRACTS OF ASCARIS VITOLORUM ON 



EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS 



By Benjamin Schwartz 



Of the University of the Philippines, Los Barios 



INTRODUCTION 



During the past few months a number of calves (Indian buffalo 

 and native carabao) of the herd of the College of Agriculture 

 died as a result of heavy infestation with Ascaris vitolorum, a 

 species of rather common occurrence in bovine animals in the 

 Philippine Islands. The animals in question exhibited severe 

 symptoms, which became more intense following the administra- . 

 tion of turpentine as an anthelmintic. As a result of anthel- 

 mintic medication the parasites were killed; but, despite the 

 administration of rather heavy doses of castor oil, they were 

 not eliminated from the intestine, as was shown by post-mortem 

 examination. 



The symptoms exhibited by the sick calves were those of 

 extreme weakness combined with a rather pronounced toxaemia. 

 Shortly before death the animals exhibited severe nervous re- 

 actions, such as vertigo and epilepsy, these symptoms being 

 followed by complete prostration and death. 



Post-mortem examination revealed numerous worms, many of 

 which were dead, in the duodenum, a few worms in the stomach, 

 and partially digested worms as well as fragments of worms in 

 different portions of the intestines. Whether the death and 

 resultant disintegration of the worms were responsible for the 

 increase in the severity of the symptoms following the admin- 

 istration of turpentine could not be determined, because the sick 

 animals were treated before I had an opportunity to keep one 

 or more untreated animals as controls. Since the behavior of 

 the sick calves before the administration of anthelminthics was 

 indicative of toxaemia, it occurred to me that toxic substances, 

 either true secretory products of the parasites or disintegration 

 products following the death of the worms, might be responsible 

 for the severe clinical manifestation of that parasitic condition. 



The experiments herein discussed were undertaken with a 

 view of obtaining information on that point. A more-detailed 



