Low efficacy of albendazole against Trichuris trichiura infection in schoolchildren from Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Müller, Ivan ; Beyleveld, Lindsey ; Gerber, Markus ; Pühse, Uwe ; du Randt, Rosa ; Utzinger, Jürg ; Zondie, Leyli ; Walter, Cheryl ; Steinmann, Peter
In: Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2016, vol. 110, no. 11, p. 676-678
Zum persönliche Liste hinzufügen- Summary
- Abstract Background Albendazole is one of two standard drugs for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Methods A total of 149 schoolchildren from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, were examined for soil-transmitted helminth infections using duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears before and 2 weeks after administration of albendazole (400 mg). Results Trichuris trichiura was the predominant soil-transmitted helminth species (prevalence 60.4%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (47.7%). While albendazole was highly efficacious against A. lumbricoides (cure rate [CR] 97.2%; egg reduction rate [ERR] 94.3%), it lacked efficacy against T. trichiura (CR 1.1%; ERR 46.0%). Conclusions Our study confirms low efficacy of single dose albendazole against T. trichiura. There is a need for safe and efficacious drugs against T. trichiura.