Evaluación de la eficacia antiparasitaria de semillas de Carica Papaya en caninos positivos a Toxacara Canis

Abstract

Toxocara canis gastrointestinal infection is one of the most common parasitic diseases affecting dogs and represents an important zoonotic concern. This study compared the antiparasitic efficacy of conventional praziquantel plus pyrantel treatment with Carica papaya seeds in naturally infected dogs. An experimental study was conducted using twenty dogs older than six months, randomly assigned to two groups of ten animals each. Coprological diagnosis and parasite burden were assessed using the Sheather flotation technique on days 0 and 16. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for within-group comparisons and the Mann-Whitney U test for between-group comparisons, considering p < 0.05. Both treatments eliminated all cases classified as having high parasite burden by the end of the study. Praziquantel plus pyrantel achieved a greater reduction in parasite burden, showing differences between baseline and day 16 (p = 0.013) and when compared with the C. papaya group at the end of treatment (p = 0.044). Although C. seeds reduced parasite burden and eliminated severe infections, their therapeutic effect was lower than that of conventional treatment. These findings support the use of C. papaya seeds as a complementary option within integrated parasite control programs for dogs. Keywords Natural antiparasitic; Carica papaya; toxocariasis; canines; Toxocara canis; helminths