Vol. 14, Issue 10 (2025)

Author(s):
Noor Al-Huda Salah

Abstract:
The effects of repeated ivermectin therapy on several hematological parameters were evaluated in rabbit blood. The experimental animals were randomly allocated into three groups. The first group received no medication (control group), the sec-ond was given an acceptable therapeutic dose of ivermectin (0.24 mg/kg, subcutane-ously) weekly for 30 days, and the third group received the same dose of ivermectin and intramuscular injections of vitamin B12 (1000 µg/week). Following blood col-lection, the blood samples were treated to anticoagulation using ethylenediaminetet-raacetic acid (EDTA) and utilized to assess hematological parameters. The group treated exclusively with ivermectin exhibited a statistically significant reduction (P < 0.05) in several hematological parameters, including total white blood cells, lymphocytes, red blood cells, platelets, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), when compared to the control group. In contrast, other parameters-such as granulocyte count, mean absolute count, hemoglobin (HGB), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and plateletcrit (PCT)-showed no statistically significant elevations. Interestingly, the group that received vitamin B12 along with ivermectin exhibited partial improvement in several hematological parameters. Notably, levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, and MCHC were moderately elevated compared to the ivermectin-only group, suggesting a possible protective or restorative effect of vit-amin B12 on erythropoiesis and general hematological balance. We discovered that ivermectin has a deleterious impact on hematological indicators in rabbits treated with repeated therapeutic doses over a short period of time; however, the co-administration of vitamin B12 may mitigate some of these adverse effects. There-fore, either a single ivermectin dose over extended intervals or its combination with hematopoietic-supportive agents like vitamin B12 is recommended.