Treatment of taeniasis and cysticercosis with praziquantel and albendazole.

Recent methods, doses and results of medical treatment on taeniasis/cysticercosis, a zoo-notic parasitic disease caused by Taenia solium and Taenia saginata are discussed. In cases of cysticercosis T. solium, especially neurocysticercosis the optimal length and dose of albendazole is a course of 8 days with doses of 15 mg/kg/day divided in two times added by 50 mg/day of prednisone in the morning. The drug is effective in almost any location of the parasites for 80-90% of macroscopic cysts seen by imaging studies. For taeniasis a single dose of praziquantel, 10-15 mg/kg achieves cure rates of more than 90%. Side effects such as nausea, headache and abdominal pain are mild. Evaluation of drug treatment is done by clinical, radiological and serological evaluation. In Papua (=Irian Jaya) nine cases with suspected neurocysticercosis, serologically positive, were treated with 1200 mg single dose albendazole for 15 days. Prednisone tablets, three times daily one tablet, 5 mg during 7 days were added. After one year 6 cases were still serologic positive. At the same time praziquantel, 1200 mg, single dose was given to ten cases during 15 days and prednisone tablets, 3 times daily one tablet, 5 mg during 7 days. After one year 5 sero-positive cases were still found. Albendazole and praziquantel are both effective drugs for taeniasis and cysticercosis, with minor side effects. In addition symptomatic treatment should be given if necessary.

Intestinal parasitic infections in Bekasi district, West Java, Indonesia and a comparison of the infection rates determined by different techniques for fecal examination.

This study was undertaken to determine the current status of intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in West Java, Indonesia, and to compare the infection rates obtained by three different methods of fecal examination. A total of 285 fecal samples were collected from 131 males and 154 females at a junior high school. Samples were brought to the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, and were examined for parasites by the Kato-Katz thick smear method (K-K). The residual samples were suspended in more than five volumes of 2% potassium dichromate solution and brought to the Department of Parasitology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Japan, where they were examined for parasites by the Army Medical School method (AMS III) and by the Sucrose Centrifugal Flotation method (SFL). The K-K revealed a total of two helminths with a prevalence of 10% (29/285). In contrast, nine species of parasites, 31% (89/285) positive, were obtained by AMS III, while 10 species, 22% (62/285) were found by SFL. Overall, 12 species of parasites were detected by the three methods: four species of nematoda (Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, and Enterobius vermicularis); five species of protozoa (Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba histolytica-like cyst, E. coli, Cyclospora sp, Blastocystis hominis); two unidentified species of nematode eggs; and one unidentified species of mite egg.

Multiple cysticercus nodules in skin and brain in a Balinese woman: A case report.

A case of multiple subcutaneous and cerebral cysticercosis in a 33-year-old Balinese female, is reported. The patient suffered from seizures since adolescence, which was not treated. Since three years before admission she started developing multiple nodules in the skin, starting from her forehead and since a year ago also in other parts of the head and body such as shoulders, chest and back. Serum sample tested against cysticercus antigen by immunoblot assay against antigen of Taenia solium was positive. The copro-antigen test was also positive, indicating the presence of the adult worm in the intestines. The patient was treated with praziquantel for the adult T. solium infection and thereafter with albendazole for the larval stages, which resulted in obvious reduction of the cerebral cysts and most of the subcutaneous nodules disappeared. However the adult worm was not recovered in the 24 hours stool specimen and after one year the immunoblot test was still positive.

The problem of Taeniasis and Cysticercosis in Irian Jaya, Indonesia.

The disease, caused by the adult and larva of Taenia solium, spread to the western part of Irian Jaya crossing the border of Indonesian to Papua New Guinea. Twenty local health centers reported 638 and 945 new cases with epileptic seizures in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Questionnaires were distributed to 31 respondents with results as follows: 83.9% were illiterate, 93.6% farmers and all of them sometimes ate not well-cooked pork; no other meat was consumed. In this area no healthy drinking water was available; also there was no sanitary facilities. Pigs were roaming around the houses, rarely the pigs were put behind fences. After international collaboration with several institutions, e.g with Asahikawa Medical College, Japan, 29 serum samples were examined by immunoblot with positive results for 67% of the cases suffering from epileptic seizures and 65% with subcutaneous nodules. Moving of people to other areas personal and environmental hygiene, the importance of pigs in the daily life of the community were important issues in maintaning the disease being caused by T.Solium in this area.