Trichinellosis is a serious zoonotic parasitic and globally endemic disease. Benzimidazole derivatives
are apparently unable to kill encapsulated larvae and its effectiveness depends on solubility, dosage of
therapy, host biotransformation, selectivity patterns as well as onset of treatment after infection. Excretory-
secretory (ES) proteins released by Trichinella induce a strong immune response when tested as a
vaccine. The current study investigated both therapeutic and protective effects of adult worm excretory
secretory protein (AW/ES), or larval excretory secretory protein (LES) on T. spiralis infected mice,
conducted by parasitological, histopathological, immunohistochemical, serological and molecular investigations.
Larval excretory secretory protein achieved more significant therapeutic and protective
effects than adult worm excretory secretory protein in experimentally infected mice, causing reduction
in larval counts and decrease in pathological changes of both muscular and intestinal tissues. It increased
serum IgG OD values, decreased Foxp3 expressions and increased the mean cycle thres- hold
values of muscular tissues but it had lesser effects on adult worm counts than albendazole.