Ivermectin and Buddies: A Mouse Tale of Parasite Defense #

Every year, millions suffer from Schistosoma mansoni infections, a nasty parasite that's tough to kick out with regular drugs. Scientists in a lab decided to test a new approach using ivermectin, a drug that usually works against other worms. They wanted to see if boosting ivermectin's potency with other drugs could make it effective against S. mansoni too. They gathered 124 mice and split them into groups. Some got ivermectin alone, others got ivermectin plus one of two extra drugs (cobicistat or elacridar). The aim was to inhibit certain substances in the mice or parasites to make the ivermectin more powerful. After three days, they infected the mice with S. mansoni and waited eight weeks.The results were disappointing. Adding cobicistat or elacridar to ivermectin didn't make a difference. The mice treated with ivermectin and elacridar even faced serious brain issues. It seemed that even with extra help, ivermectin couldn't protect the mice from S. mansoni infection. This experiment shows that ivermectin, even with added assistance, isn't an effective shield against S. mansoni. It's like trying to beat a hard boss in a game with a weak weapon, even after buffing it up. #