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 and levamisole. The baboons were split into three groups. Groups A and B got the medicines, while Group C was left untreated to serve as a comparison. The goal was to see how well each medicine worked by checking the baboons' poop for worm eggs before and after treatment. The results showed that both medicines reduced the number of worm eggs, but levamisole seemed to work better. By day 28, the treated groups had significantly fewer eggs than the untreated group. However, neither medicine completely cleared the infection, suggesting that repeated treatments might be necessary. Interestingly, while both medicines were effective, mebendazole was less so than levamisole. This finding could be important for zoos and animal care facilities looking to manage parasite infections in baboons. The study used standard techniques to check for worm eggs, ensuring the results were reliable. The key takeaway is that while both medicines help, levamisole might be the better choice for treating roundworm infections in olive baboons.