Levamisole: injectable anthelmintic for animals

Levamisole for animals is an effective anthelmintic drug for the treatment of nematodes in farm animals. The drug belongs to the group of imidazoles and has a broad spectrum of nematicidal action. Levamisole is actively used in the culinary field due to its high effectiveness without special diets and laxatives, ease of dosage and rapid action against all types of nematodes.

Release form and composition of the drug

Levamisole belongs to the anthelmintic drugs from the imidazoles group. The main active substance in Levamisole for animals is levamisole hydrochloride. This is a white or light pink powder, which is a biologically active derivative of tetramizole. The active ingredient is highly soluble in water and alkaline solutions.

The medicine is available in several pharmacological forms:

• tablets of 0.05 and 0.15 g - used for the treatment of helminthiases in humans;
• sterile solution 10% for injection - used in veterinary practice;
• powder for making solution for injection.

Levamisole sterile solution is the most popular and convenient form of release. The medicine is packaged in 50 ml glass bottles with aluminum caps; 1 ml of solution contains 75 mg of the main active substance levamisole.

The auxiliary components of the drug include calcium hydrogen phosphate, colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, starch, lactose and talc.

Levamisole for animals - principle of action

The pharmacological effectiveness of Levamisole is due to the action of its active substance levamisole hydrochloride. It actively affects roundworms, toxoplasma, hookworms and other round helminths.

The pharmacological drug is highly effective in relation to the larval and mature phases of development of nematodes that affect the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and other internal organs.

Levamisole acts directly on the neuromuscular system in the nematode’s body, inhibiting enzyme activity. It blocks all nerve nodes in the parasite’s body, causing paralysis of the muscular corset.

The drug has a rapid effect. From the moment of injection, the maximum concentration of the active substance is observed after 30-40 minutes, and no more than 5-6 hours pass until the helminths are completely killed. Within 24 hours after the injection, parasites are eliminated from the animal’s body naturally. In case of diseases of the digestive system or impaired intestinal motility, this process may take longer.

Taking Levamisole for animals has not only an anthelmintic, but also an immunomodulatory effect. This drug stimulates cellular defenses and immune processes in the body, activating the production of various types of immune cells.

Indications for use

Levamisole is used in veterinary practice for the treatment of parasitic infestations of cattle, goats, sheep and poultry.

Main indications for use of the drug:

• dictyocaulosis;
• hemonchosis;
• bunostomosis;
• nematodirosis;
• esophagostomosis;
• habertiosis;
• ostertagiasis;
• cooperation;
• strongyloidiasis;
• ascariasis;
• trichocephalosis.

Levamisole for cats and dogs is prescribed for toxocariasis, hookworm, uncinariasis, and toxascariasis.

Levamisole hydrochloride 7.5%

INDICATIONS FOR USE The drug is administered to animals with gastrointestinal and pulmonary nematodes once subcutaneously, intramuscularly or orally. It is effective against benzimidazole-resistant nematodes.

SIDE EFFECTS With increased individual sensitivity to levamisole, some animals experience increased salivation, coughing, increased excitability, and ataxia. These symptoms resolve spontaneously without the use of therapeutic agents.

CONTRAINDICATIONS The drug should not be used by emaciated animals, under stress, patients with infectious diseases, or with chronic liver and kidney damage. The drug is not used for breeding breeders, females in the last 3 months of pregnancy and within 2 weeks after birth, and laying birds. Do not use the drug simultaneously with the use of organophosphorus compounds.

WAITING PERIOD Levamisole hydrochloride 7.5% is prohibited for use on the territory of the Republic of Belarus for productive animals (sheep, goats), from which milk is used for human food. After using the drug, meat for food purposes can be used after 7 days, milk - after 2 days.

STORAGE CONDITIONS Store in a dry place, protected from light at a temperature from plus 5 ºС to plus 25 ºС. The shelf life of the drug is 2 years from the date of manufacture, subject to storage rules.

RELEASE FORM The drug is released in 50.0; 100.0 and 200.0 ml in glass bottles, vials.

DOSES AND METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION Indications, doses and methods of use of the drug

Instructions

Use in veterinary medicine

Levamisole exhibits high anthelmintic effectiveness without preliminary preparation of the animal - without fasting, as well as the use of laxatives. The drug is administered subcutaneously. To obtain the required therapeutic effect, a single administration of the drug is sufficient. In some cases, at the discretion of the veterinarian, Levamisole is administered intramuscularly to small and large livestock.

The dosage of the anthelmintic drug is selected individually, depending on the animal:

1. Cows and bulls - 1.5 ml per 20 kg of weight, but not more than 22.5 ml for livestock with a live weight over 300 kg. The medicine is administered to the animal intramuscularly in the area of ​​the shoulder blades, once.
2. Goats and sheep - 0.75 ml for every 10 kg, most often Levamisole is injected under the skin in the area of ​​the shoulder blade.
3. Pigs - the medicine is given intramuscularly in a proportion of 0.75 ml per 10 kg. For pigs whose body weight is more than 150 kg, a dosage of 7 ml per 100 kg is used.
4. Rabbits and dogs - the dosage of Levamisole for rabbits and dogs is 0.75 ml per 10 kg of weight. The medicine is given once, intramuscularly or orally with food or drink. A similar dosage is used in the treatment of helminthic diseases in cats.
5. Chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys - 1.5-2 ml per 5 kg of body weight. The drug is given to birds once or the required dosage is divided into several doses. Levamisole is given to birds for 3-5 days.

Levamisole for pigeons is used in a dosage of 1 ml per 200 ml of water. This solution is used for drinking pigeons for 4-5 days. During treatment they should not be given any other drink.

The average dosage of Levamisole is 0.5 ml of solution for every 5 kg of animal body weight. At the same time, the maximum permissible norm is 30 ml for cows and bulls, 20 ml for pigs, 4-4.5 ml for sheep.

Levamisole 75, 50 ml

COMPOSITION AND FORM OF RELEASE

Injection solution, 1 ml of which contains 75 mg of levamisole hydrochloride and auxiliary components. It is a transparent, colorless liquid with a characteristic odor. Available in 50 ml bottles.

PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Zinedine Zidane, Quincy, Quincy, Ostertagia spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Nematodirus spp., Bunostomum spp., Oesophagostomum spp., Cooperia spp., Dictyocaulus spp., Strongyloides papillosus; Ascaris suum, Strongyloides ransomi, Metastrongylus spp., Oesophagostomum spp., Zurab Tsereteli, Toksokara spp., Toxascaris leonina, Ancylostoma spp., Uncinaria spp., . The mechanism of action of the drug is to act on the neuromuscular system and inhibit the activity of parasite enzymes, which leads to paralysis and removal from the animal’s body. After parenteral administration, levamisole is quickly resorbed, the maximum concentration of the drug is reached in organs and tissues after 30 minutes and remains at a therapeutic level for 6–9 hours. Levamisole is excreted from the body mainly through urine within 3 to 4 days. The drug is a moderately toxic compound for warm-blooded animals; in a therapeutic dose it does not have a local irritant, embryotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic or sensitizing effect.

INDICATIONS

Prescribed for large and small cattle with dictyocaulosis, hemonchosis, bunostomiasis, esophagostomiasis, nematodirosis, ostertagiasis, habertiosis, cooperiosis, strongyloidiasis. For pigs - for ascariasis, esophagostomiasis, strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, metastrongylosis. For dogs - for toxocariasis and toxascariasis, uncinariasis and hookworm.

DOSES AND METHOD OF APPLICATION

The drug is administered without prior starvation diet and laxatives once, subcutaneously (in cattle it can be intramuscularly) at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg of animal weight (based on the active substance), which corresponds to 1 ml of solution per 10 kg of animal body weight.

For cattle, no more than 30 ml is administered per head; pigs - no more than 20 ml; sheep, goats and dogs - no more than 4.5 ml per animal.

If the volume of the injected solution is more than 15 ml, it should be administered to the animal in 2–3 places. Before mass deworming, each batch of the drug is first tested on a small group (5–10 heads) of animals. If there are no complications within 2–3 days, the entire livestock is treated.

SIDE EFFECTS

With increased individual sensitivity to levamisole, some animals experience agitation, increased salivation (vomiting in dogs), increased bowel movements and urination, and ataxia. These symptoms usually resolve spontaneously without the use of therapeutic agents.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Weakened, emaciated and sick animals with infectious diseases, as well as females in the last third of pregnancy, are not subject to deworming. Levamisole 75 should not be used simultaneously, or within 10 days before and after the use of organophosphorus drugs, pyrantel, morantel and chloramphenicol.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

Slaughter of animals for meat is permitted 7 days after deworming. In case of forced slaughter of animals before the established deadline, the meat can be used as feed for carnivorous animals or for the production of meat and bone meal. Milk from animals treated with levamisole should not be used for food purposes within 48 hours after deworming. It can be used to feed animals.

Features and rules of use

Levamisole is a moderately toxic drug. If the instructions for use of Levamisole and the dosage for pigs and other farm animals and birds are strictly followed, the medicine is well tolerated by the body and does not have a locally irritating, teratogenic, embryotoxic or sensitizing effect.

Basic rules for using Levamisole:

1. In the case of mass anthelmintic treatment of farm animals, it is necessary to first test the drug on a group consisting of 7-10 animals. For 3 days it is necessary to carefully monitor the behavior and well-being of the experimental group. In the absence of any side effects or negative manifestations, injections are administered to the rest of the livestock.
2. The slaughter of farm animals for meat is permitted no earlier than 7 days after the last injection of Levamisole.
3. Cow's milk and chicken eggs are recommended to be consumed only 4 days after the last administration of the anthelmintic drug.
4. Levamisole should not be used to treat females during pregnancy.
5. The drug should not be used to treat emaciated and weakened animals, as well as during the recovery period after operations or serious illnesses. The injection can be given only after the animal has fully recovered.

Levamisole is an effective and fast-acting anthelmintic drug used in veterinary medicine. Due to its wide spectrum of nematicidal action, the product is used to treat large and small cattle, sheep, pigs, birds, dogs and cats against various parasitic infestations. If the correct dosage is observed, Levamisole does not have a toxic effect on the animal’s body and does not cause side effects.

Levamisole

Stylab / Catalog / Antihelmintics / Levamisole

STYLAB offers levamisole hydrochloride standards for analysis in food raw materials and products by chromatographic methods in accordance with GOST 32834-2014.

Levamisole is an anthelmintic drug derived from imidazothiazole. It is used in both human and veterinary medicine, most often using levamisole hydrochloride. This substance is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines and has a wide spectrum of action. Levamisole is effective against roundworms. It is also used for enterobiasis, toxoplasmosis, strongyloidiasis, trichostrongyloidiasis, trichurosis, hookworm and necatoriasis. In addition to its anthelmintic effect, levamisole is an immunostimulant. Therefore, in medicine it is prescribed for certain viral infections, stomatitis, recurrent infections, and also after treatment of cancer.

In the Russian Federation, such levamisole preparations as “Filomed”, “Levamisole 75”, “Levamisole 10%”, “Filomecid” are registered for veterinary use. They are preparations for injections and powders for oral use. Levamisole is used to treat farm animals and fish. Myzophren® contains levamisole and chloramphenicol and is used to treat wounds and conjunctivitis in dogs and cats.

The mechanism of action of levamisole on parasites is due to its ability to cause muscle paralysis in helminths, interacting with H-cholinergic receptors, and also disrupt energy metabolism. In the gastrointestinal tract, this substance is quickly absorbed, then metabolized in the liver to form about 50 substances, most of which do not exhibit biological activity. Levamisole is excreted mainly in the urine. Studies on cows have shown that this substance can also be excreted in milk. In chickens treated with levamisole, this substance is present in small amounts in the egg.

Side effects of levamisole in humans include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, changes in blood composition, skin reactions, and uterine bleeding. This substance is neurotoxic. Its use can lead to headaches, disorders of the nervous system, including confusion, changes in the perception of smells and tastes, speech disorders, lethargy, and convulsions. Levamisole can cause demyelination of nerve fibers, which manifests itself in the form of an encephalitis-like syndrome. This substance is a vasopressor: it increases blood pressure by constricting blood vessels. Severe side effects of levamisole include pancreatitis, agranulocytosis, and kidney damage. In rats, upon oral administration, the LD50 of levamisole is about 460 mg/kg body weight, in mice – 210 mg/kg body weight. In acute poisoning with levamisole, agitation, convulsions, and rapid breathing were observed in rats and mice. In addition, drooling, vomiting and liver damage were recorded in pigs. In general, acute levamisole poisoning is similar to nicotine poisoning. This is due to the cholinergic effect of levamisole.

Rats treated with 100 mg/kg body weight of levamisole for 30 days showed a moderate decrease in body weight and an increase in the weight of the liver and kidneys. Dogs with a levamisole dosage of 20 mg/kg body weight developed hemolytic anemia at the 8th week of the experiment. Their condition returned to normal 2 weeks after stopping levamisole.

In chronic toxicity studies in mice and rats, levamisole was not carcinogenic. Experiments on rats also showed that in doses up to 80 mg/kg body weight per day (1600 mg/kg of feed), levamisole does not demonstrate embryotoxicity. However, in large doses, it causes a decrease in body weight in pregnant females and newborns, an increase in the number of stillbirths and deaths in the period 3 weeks after the birth of rat pups, and a decrease in the rate of body weight gain. Experiments on rats, mice, rabbits and pigs showed that levamisole does not exhibit teratogenic properties. According to some experiments, levamisole causes chromosomal abnormalities in human lymphocytes. Levamisole is toxic to some aquatic organisms. In particular, for large daphnia its EC50 is 64 mg/l over 48 hours.

Levamisole interacts with many other substances. In particular, it enhances the effect of warfarin. When taken simultaneously with pyrantel, due to the opposite effect, the effectiveness of these substances is mutually reduced. Due to this and the fact that in animals treated with this anthelmintic, it remains for some time in the muscles, fat and liver, it is recommended to control the content of levamisole in food products. WHO suggests the following MRLs: 0.01 mg/kg for meat, 0.1 mg/kg for liver. Maximum permissible levels of levamisole in milk and eggs have not been established, since this anthelmintic is prohibited for use in the treatment of dairy animals and laying hens.

The method for analyzing levamisole and other anthelmintics in food raw materials and the requirements for materials, including standards, are described in GOST 32834-2014 “Food products, food raw materials. Method for determining the residual content of anthelmintics using high-performance liquid chromatography with a mass spectrometric detector.” STYLAB offers pure substances, isotopically labeled forms, standard solutions of levamisole hydrochloride and its mixtures with other anthelmintics. Certified Standard Manufacturers are accredited to ISO 17034:2016. Certified standards are accompanied by certificates.

Literature

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3. Levamisole hydrochloride. Pubchem
4. Levamisole. Inchem
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6. El-Kholy H, Kemppainen BW. Levamisole residues in chicken tissues and eggs. Poult Sci. 2005 Jan;84(1):9-13.
7. Hsu WH. Toxicity and drug interactions of levamisole. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1980 May 15;176(10 Spec No):1166-9.
8. Yoshimura H, Endoh YS. Acute toxicity to freshwater organisms of antiparasitic drugs for veterinary use. Environ Toxicol. 2005 Feb;20(1):60-6.
9. McKellar QA. Ecotoxicology and residues of anthelmintic compounds. Vet Parasitol. 1997 Nov;72(3-4):413-26
10. Solomun Kolanović B, Bilandžić N, Kos B, Šušković J, Cvetnić L, Varenina I, Božić Luburić Đ, Varga I, Pavliček D, Denžić Lugomer M, Cvetnić Ž. Distribution and elimination of levamisole in eggs and tissues after oral administration to laying hens, determined by LC-MS/MS. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2021 May;36(5):729-739.

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