Echinococcus granulosus: In vitro effectiveness of warm water on protoscolices

Hydatid disease is one of the most important helminthic diseases worldwide. Hydatid cysts may be found anywhere in the body. The most effective treatment of hydatid cyst is surgical operation. Spillage of live protoscolices during the operation is the major cause of recurrence. Instillation of scolicidal agent into hydatid cyst is the most commonly employed measure to prevent this complication. To date, many scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of the hydatid cyst content, however, most common scolicidal agents may cause unacceptable side-effects, limiting their use. In this study the scolicidal effect of warm water (45, 50, 55, and 60 °C) at different exposure times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 min) is investigated. Protoscolices were collected aseptically from sheep livers containing hydatid cyst. Viability of protoscolices was determined by 0.1% eosin staining. Even though the highest scolicidal activity of warm water at 45 °C was 40.4% at the end of 15 min, the best scolicidal effect (100%) of warm water at 50, 55, and 60 °C was obtained after 5, 2, and 1 min, respectively. The results of this in vitro study showed that warm water at 50–60 °C can be regarded as an effective scolicidal agent. Warm water is commonly available, easily prepared, and inexpensive. In vivo scolicidal activity of warm water and also the possible side effects need further investigation.     

In vitro effectiveness of Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale extracts on Echinococcus protoscoleces

Hydatid disease is an important economic and human public health problem with a wide geographical distribution. Surgical excision remains the primary treatment and the only hope for complete cure of hydatosis. The most important complications arising from surgical excision, however, is recurrence, which is due to dissemination of protoscolices during the surgery. Pre-surgical inactivation of the contents of the hydatid cyst by injection of scolicidal agent into the cyst has been used as adjunct to surgery in order to overcome the risk of recurrence. In the present study, ethanolic extracts of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) were tested as scolicidal agent for Echinococcus protoscoleces. Protoscoleces were collected aseptically from sheep livers containing hydatid cysts. Three concentrations (10, 30 and 50 mg/ml) of each extract were investigated and viability of the protoscoleces was tested by 0.1% eosin staining. Ginger extract showed the strongest scolicidal effect (100%) after 20 min at a concentration of 30 mg/ml and 10 min at 50 mg/ml. The maximum scolicidal effect of turmeric was 93.2% after 30 min at a concentration of 50 mg/ml. It is concluded that turmeric and ginger extracts have high scolicidal activity and could be used as effective scolicidal agents against Echinococcus protoscoleces.