Impact of antihelminthic treatment on infection by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms in Covas, a rural community of Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the impact of drug treatment on infection by Ascaris lumbricoides (Al), Trichuris trichiura (Tt) and hookworms (Hook) in a rural community from the sugar-cane zone of Pernambuco, Brazil. Four parasitological surveys were carried out from March 2001 to March 2002. Individual diagnosis was based on eight slides (four by the Kato-Katz method and four by the Hoffman method) per survey. Infected subjects were assigned to two groups for treatment with either albendazole (n = 62) or mebendazole (n = 57). Prevalence of infection fell significantly (p < 0.05) one month after treatment: Al (from 47.7% to 6.6%); Tt (from 45.7% to 31.8%) and Hook (from 47.7% to 24.5%). One year after treatment, infections by Tt and Hook remained significantly below pre-control levels. A substantial decrease in single-infection cases and multiple infections was found. Egg-negative rate was significant for Al (94.0%), Hook (68.3%) but not for Tt (45.5%), and did not differ significantly between subjects treated with mebendazole or albendazole. Egg counts fell significantly in the individuals remaining positive for Tt. It is recommended that antihelminthic treatment should be selective and given at yearly intervals preferably with albendazole, due to its cost-effectiveness.

Reliability of current estimates of schistosomiasis prevalence in the Rainforest Zone of the state of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil

“…3. These results are in agreement with the relatively moderate levels of STH previously found in the sugar-cane zone of Pernambuco (Zani et al 2004) and fully justify the strategy of combining schistosomiasis and STH control in the ZMP as recommended by WHO (2002).…”

Impact of periodic selective mebendazole treatment on soil‐transmitted helminth infections in Cuban schoolchildren

“…; Zani et al . ). In one study, a single dose of 500 mg mebendazole was evaluated in children (Albonico et al .…”

A parasitological paradox: Why is ascarid infection so rare in the prehistoric Americas?

“…An Aztec codex illustrates the use of anthelminthic species up to the Spanish Entrada (de Montellano, 1975). These examples illustrate the long-standing and widespread availability of medicines throughout prehistory Anthelminthics, whether natural or synthetic, are more effective for A. lumbricoides than T. trichiura (Muchiri et al, 2001;Reinhard, 2004;Saathoff et al, 2004;Zani et al, 2004). Keiser and Utzinger (2008) performed a systematic review and a metaanalysis to evaluate four medicines used for intestinal helminths.…”