Skip to main content
. 2025 Aug 12;12:1562641. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1562641

Table 10.

Antiparasitic activity of THY and THEOs against various ectoparasites and endoparasites.

Target parasite Treatment and concentration LC50 or Mortality rate (%) Findings References Year
Ectoparasites
Musca domestica (fly) THY (2 g/kg) in quail diet n/a Reduces fly emergence and oviposition; significant oviposition repellent effect (4) 2014
Culex pipiens (mosquito) THY-CAR blend; 4:1 LC50 larvae: 14 mg/L Shows synergistic ovicidal and larvicidal effects; THY-CAR combinations are effective (6) 2019
Rhipicephalus microplus (cattle tick) Lippia gracilis EO (THY = 59.6%) LC50: 0.84–1.02 Shows significant acaricidal effect; is effective on resistant and susceptible strains (11) 2016
Rhipicephalus annulatus (cattle tick) THY-IVM; 1:1. LC50 of the combination is not reported Increases mortality, but the combination index exceeds one for all isolates, indicating no synergism (93) 2024
Ixodes ricinus (livestock and dog tick) THY (0.25–5%) >90% repellency, 100% larvicidal Shows high toxic and repellent activity; has superior efficacy compared to permethrin (94) 2017
Rhipicephalus sanguineus (dog tick) THY-EUG microemulsion (5 mg/mL each) >90% reduction in infestations Shows long-lasting acaricidal effect in field conditions; is well-tolerated on treated animals (12) 2021
Dermanyssus gallinae (red mite) THY-CAR; 4:1 (0.5–2%) Prolonged efficacy (14 days) Shows highest efficacy at 4:1 ratio with 2% concentration; demonstrates prolonged residual acaricidal effect (95) 2016
Alphitobius diaperinus (poultry mealworm) OEO LC50: 0.135 μL/cm2 Shows high contact toxicity; is effective against pests in poultry settings (83) 2020
Endoparasites
Eimeria spp. THY (0–20 mg/mL) LC50: 1.66 ± 0.44 mg/mL Shows significant oocysticidal effect, disrupts oocyst wall and membrane integrity, leading to parasite death (96) 2013
Eimeria tenella In vitro: THY (7 ppm) Not specified Reduces the invasion of MDBK cells by Eimeria tenella sporozoites (97) 2020
Echinococcus granulosus THEO and OEO Not specified Inhibits larval hatching and motility, highlighting potential for livestock nematode control (98) 2014
Mesocestoides
corti
THY Not specified Shows concentration-dependent morphological changes; results in complete larval mortality (99)
Haemonchus
contortus
In vivo: THEO (300, 150, 75 mg/kg bw, days 0, 6, 12). In vitro: THEO (50–0.097 mg/mL), THY (25–0.048 mg/mL) In vitro: egg hatching: 96.4–100%, Larval development: 90.8–100%, Larval motility: 97–100%, Adult motility: 100% (8 h) In vivo: ineffective at tested doses. In vitro: both oil and thymol were highly effective at all parasite stages, with results comparable to levamisole (20 mg/mL) (100) 2016
THY and THY acetate Not specified Inhibits larval hatching and motility, highlighting potential for livestock nematode control (47) 2017
THY (IC50: 0.13 mg/mL) IC50: 0.13 mg/mL THY shows potent ovicidal effect (101)
Haemonchus spp.,
Teladorsagia spp.,
Trichostrongylus
spp. (resistant strains)
In vivo: ABZ (5 mg/kg), THY (150 mg/kg), two times, 0 and 24 h. Co-administered and alone. Egg counts: 0 and 14 days THY efficacy: 0% THY administered alone or combined with ABZ also fails to reduce eggs number in feces (65) 2020
Haemonchus spp.,
Trichostrongylus spp.,
Teladorsagiaspp., Chabertia spp.
In vitro: THEO (50, 12.5, 3.125, 0.781, 0.195, 0.049 mg/mL) for 48 h (egg hatch test) In vivo: 100 mg/kg body weight of THEO as single dose Anthelmintic effect: ~25%. THEO shows significant reductions in nematode egg counts in the in vivo fecal egg count reduction test (102) 2022
Leishmania
infantum
Acetyl- and benzoyl-THY derivatives EC50: 8.67 μg/mL Achieves significant reductions in promastigote loads, indicating potential as a treatment for leishmaniasis (3) 2014
THY Not specified Reduces parasite loads and improves survival in infected hamsters (103) 2019
Cryptosporidium baileyi Cryptosporidium galli In vitro: THY and THEO (0, 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 1, 2 mg/mL) THY: LC50 < 0.4 mg/mL Both show significant oocysticidal activity. Higher concentrations and longer exposure times increased efficacy. Structural damage to oocysts is observed. Effective as natural disinfectants for controlling Cryptosporidium infections in poultry (104) 2019