Effect of Cardisoma guanhumi (Land Crab) Extract on Haematology and Lungs Histology in Swiss Mice Infected with Bordetella pertussis

Pertussis is an acute human respiratory tract disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, a known international pathogen that affects infants, children and adults. This study is aimed at investigating the changes in haematological parameters and histopathological changes of the lungs connected with Bordetella pertussis infection in swiss mice and to evaluate the potential of Cardisoma guanhumi extract to reverse these adverse changes about erythromycin treatment. The animals were divided into five groups: Group 1 was normal to control, group 2 was infected with Bordetella pertussis without treatment (negative control), group 3 and 4 were Bordetella pertussis infected and treated with 300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg of the extract respectively and group 5 were infected and treated with 4000 mg/70 kg of erythromycin in divided doses. The animals were inoculated with a single infectious dose of Bordetella pertussis bacteria and were consequently treated with the graded doses of the extract and erythromycin for eighteen days after the animals were confirmed infected. The mice were humanely sacrificed using diethyl ether anaesthesia and blood samples were taken for liver function investigation and liver tissue harvested and processed for histological examination. The result showed that Cardisoma guanhumi extract reversed the changes in the haematological parameters and pathological changes in the lungs of mice infected with Bordetella pertussis in a dose and time-dependent manner which suggests prophylactic and curative potentials of Cardisoma guanhumi extract against B. pertussis.