A comparative trial of albendazole alone versus combination of albendazole and praziquantel for treatment of Trichuris trichiura infection.

A randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness of albendazole alone and albendazole combined with praziquantel in the treatment of Trichuris trichiura infection. The drug regimens consisted of single dose of albendazole 400 mg (A1, n=34), 3 days of albendazole 400 mg daily (A3, n=34), 5 days of albendazole 400 mg daily (A5, n=35), single dose of albendazole 400 mg plus praziquantel 40 mg/kg (AIP1, n=34), and 3 days of albendazole 400 mg plus praziquantel 40 mg/kg daily (A3P3, n=36). It was found that treatment with 3 or more consecutive days of albendazole with or without praziquantel resulted in a significant reduction in density of Trichuris eggs in stools while a single dose of such drug did not. Praziquantel was not shown to have synergistic or antagonistic effects with albendazole. A regimen of 400 mg of albendazole daily for 3 days was found to be the most suitable therapy for Trichuris infection.

Hymenolepis nana infection in Thai children.

Stool examination was performed on 2,083 Thai children from orphanages and primary schools. Hymenolepis nana infection was found only in children from orphanages with a prevalence of 13.12 per cent. Males had a statistically significant higher prevalence of infection than females. Most infected children were asymptomatic. In symptomatic infected children, the symptoms were mild and non-specific such as pruritus ani, abdominal pain, diarrhea, anorexia, headache, and dizziness. Praziquantel in a single oral dose of 25 mg/kg body weight was effective and well tolerated in Hymenolepis nana infected Thai children.

Effects of rice powder salt solution and milk-rice mixture on acute watery diarrhea in young children.

A randomized pilot study was carried out to compare the safety and effectiveness of rice powder salt solution (RPSS) in combination with milk-rice mixture (RPSS-MR group, n = 17) with other two regimens, glucose-based oral rehydration solution (ORS) combined with MR (ORS-MR group, n = 17) and ORS combined with formula milk (ORS-milk group, n = 14) in the treatment of acute watery diarrhea with mild to moderate dehydration in 48 boys younger than 2 years. Results showed that in the first 24 hours patients in the RPSS-MR group had significantly smaller amounts of stool weight (32.7 g/kg) than those in the ORS-MR group (67.5 g/kg) and ORS-milk group (59.2 g/kg) (p< 0.05 for both measurements). Patients in the RPSS-MR group also had significantly shorter duration of diarrhea (29.6 hours) than the other two groups (43.8 hours and 49.6 hours, respectively) (p < 0.05 for both measurements). The stool weight and duration of diarrhea between the ORS-MR group and the ORS-milk group were not significantly different. The positive effect of milk rice mixture was not demonstrated in the study due to the significantly more severe diarrhea in the ORS-MR group. The effectiveness of the RPSS-MR is therefore likely due to mainly RPSS.

Prevalence of enterobiasis and its incidence after blanket chemotherapy in a male orphanage.

A prospective observational study was conducted in a male orphanage to find out the prevalence of enterobiasis and its incidence after blanket chemotherapy using mebendazole. We found that the prevalence of enterobiasis was 28.9%. The incidence density of enterobiasis after blanket chemotherapy was 379.82 per 1,000 person-years which was quite high. We suggest that blanket chemotherapy should be repeated at every 6 months interval to control enterobiasis in orphanages.

Albendazole treatment for Giardia intestinalis infections in school children.

A randomized controlled trial, 113 school children with Giardia intestinalis infection were treated with albendazole or tinidazole. Albendazole 400 mg once a day x 3 days and tinidazole 50 mg/kg single dose were given orally to 62 and 51 children, respectively. Parasitological cure was documented when there were > or = 2 times negative stool examination for G. intestinalis at 1-2 weeks after therapy. Thirty-one of 62 (50%) children treated with albendazole and 49 of 51 (96.1%) children treated with tinidazole had parasitological cure (p < 0.001). No major side effects were observed except one case in tinidazole group had severe headache for 30 hours. Albendazole appears to be safe and produced a moderate cure rate for G. intestinalis infection when a 3 day anthelmintic regimen is given.