ABSTRACT
Efficacy of preventive chemotherapy in tuberculosis-infected children depends to a great extend on medical compliance and drug tolerability. Two new short-course chemoprevention-regimes of tuberculosis--four months Rifampin (A) and two months Rifampin plus Pyrazinamide (B)--were compared with the well established regimen of six months Isoniacid (C). 150 children (mean age 3.6 years with Tb conversion) were randomly allocated to these three regimens. 13 patients were non-compliant, in terms of interview, urinary INH-test strips, urine colour and prescription frequency: 7 in group C and 3 in group A and B, respectively. Adverse effects were observed in 5 patients: 3 in group C and 1 in group A and B. 1 child (group B) developed tuberculosis two years after stopping short course chemoprevention. Good compliance (94%) as well as neglectable risks of adverse effects (2%) justify further controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy of short course chemoprevention in childhood.
Subject(s)
Antitubercular Agents/administration & dosage , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/drug therapy , Adolescent , Antitubercular Agents/adverse effects , Child , Child, Preschool , Drug Administration Schedule , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Humans , Infant , Isoniazid/administration & dosage , Isoniazid/adverse effects , Male , Pilot Projects , Pyrazinamide/administration & dosage , Pyrazinamide/adverse effects , Rifampin/administration & dosage , Rifampin/adverse effects , Tuberculin TestABSTRACT
The effect of solidified benzyl benzoate (bb) foam and powder on concentrations of the major allergens of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p I) and D. farinae (Der f I) in dust samples from mattresses and carpets in 22 households was investigated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. All houses had been demonstrated to have significant (greater than or equal to 2000 ng/gm of dust) mite-allergen concentrations on mattresses. Dust samples were collected from mattresses and carpets before treatment and on days 10, 30, and 60 after the first treatment. There was a second application on day 10. Der p I and Der f I were determined by a sandwich-type ELISA with monoclonal noncross-reacting antibodies to Der p I and polyclonal monospecific antibodies to Der f I. There was a significant reduction of mite allergens in mattresses and carpets within both bb-treated and control groups, but only the results on carpets of the bb-treated group were significantly different from results of the control group on days 30 and 60 (p less than 0.05).
