Fighting Worms in Captive Baboons: A Medicine Showdown

In Lahore Zoo, 15 olive baboons faced a common problem: roundworm infections. These baboons, part of the Cercopithecoidea family, often struggle with health issues in captivity, especially due to parasites.

To tackle this, a study was set up to test two deworming medicines:

• Mebendazole
• Levamisole

Study Design

The baboons were split into three groups:

• Group A: Treated with mebendazole
• Group B: Treated with levamisole
• Group C: Left untreated (control group)

The goal was to assess how well each medicine worked by checking the baboons' poop for worm eggs before and after treatment.

Results

• Both medicines reduced the number of worm eggs.
• Levamisole seemed to work better than mebendazole.
• By day 28, the treated groups had significantly fewer eggs than the untreated group.
• Neither medicine completely cleared the infection, suggesting that repeated treatments might be necessary.

Key Findings

• Levamisole was more effective than mebendazole.
• The study used standard techniques to check for worm eggs, ensuring reliable results.
• The key takeaway is that while both medicines help, levamisole might be the better choice for treating roundworm infections in olive baboons.