Rick, I read that first study on trout last night and found it interesting that the flubendazole was ineffective, though I didn't take the time to convert the dosage info and compare it to what we use.
The study I linked tested very high doses of flubendazole compared to what we use in ponds, but they had short duration times. They tested 200 mg/Litre for 3 hours and 25 mg/Litre for 12 hours and found no reduction in the number of skin flukes. In the pond, we use 11.8 grams of a 5% flubendazole product in 1000 gallons. 11.8 x 0.05 x 1000 is 590 mg. 1000 gallons is 3785 litres, so we are only using 0.1559 mg/Litre, but we leave it in the pond for a week. Perhaps they did not have a long enough exposure time, perhaps something in their in vivo environment deactivated the flubendazole, or perhaps the skin flukes were protected by the slime coat on the trout that prevented the flukes from coming into contact with the flubendazole. The other thought is that they were using a flow through system to house the trout, so perhaps the flubendazole was diluted too quickly.
In their in vitro study, 50 mg/Litre killed 100% of the flukes within 60 minutes, so we know that flukes will be killed by flubendazole if the flubendazole gets to them. Although I have only used praziquantel, many people on this board report as good if not better results with flubendazole than with praziquantel, so I was surprised at the results in the study I linked.
Thanks, Rick. I'm one of those in the flubendazole camp, and am told that fenbendazole also works at same dosage and is easier to get here in the US. I think your comment about the flow through diluting it is correct, though it didn't seem to affect the others.
I dosed 20ppm of albendazole and it is not freely soluble. Forming more like of floating powder initially.
12 hours after treatment the lot are withstanding it just fine.
Agitation in the quarantine box is well mixed by using a resun 9902 aerator.
Replaced approx 25% of the water this morning to avoid adverse effect of the said toxicity.
Hey I just read the trial report. They do tried for ivermectin and I happen to have some in access.
This drug is so wide band it can wipe out most trematode and nematode, inside and outside the host creature.
Like praziquantel, it is best to mix albendazole in a small amount of alcohol to wet it before pouring it into the pond or QT tank. It is very difficult to get the drug powder wet using water.
I would not use propylene glycol, and I am not sure how well glycerin will work. I know that alcohol works and is safe for the fish. Formalin also works if you need to use both together. When we do Proform C plus Prazi, we add the Prazi to the third dose of Proform C. Otherwise, we mix the Prazi with ethanol or even isopropanol. I prefer ethanol, but because the amount needed is so small, isopropanol is fine.
Tried some 96% alcohol, just 2ml in all and mixed 1ml of propylene glycol with 1gram of albendazole in a spoon.
In my line of work this PG is used as surfactant/wetting agent and mix -solvent application.
It mixes just fine with alcohol, being non ionic.
Works just great, toss them into a bucket of water and add into the quarantine box every 1 minute until all is finished.
After 12 hours of treatment the fish seems to be lethargic.
It seems, at 20ppm concentration the drug side effect/toxicity is just too strong.
I replaced in sequence 50% of the quarantine box water and will repeat 50% WC in the next 4 hours and another 50% WC 4 hours later.
Hopefully the lot will recover, free of parasite of course.