Viability of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs eliminated after anti-helminthic therapy

Abstract

The viability of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs passed in the feces was evaluated after treatment of patients with one of the anti-helminthic drugs (thiabendazole, levamisole, cambendazole, pyrantel pamoate, mebendazole or praziquantel). For each drug, a group of 5 children was selected and their feces collected 24 h before treatment and 24, 48 and 72 h after drug administration, except for mebendazole, with the feces being collected throughout the period of treatment. After sedimentation, the total amount of eggs from each collection was transferred to tissue culture flasks containing 10 ml H2SO4 0,1N, with the addition of 3 drops of a miconazole solution, and incubated at 28 degrees C, individually, for 80 days. The flasks were maintained open and the culture were oxygenated daily by manual agitation. On the 80th day of culture, 20-days-old albino mice were inoculated with 3,200 embryonated eggs, per os. Larvae were recovered from their lungs and hearts, on the 8th day after infection, according to Baerman's method (Morais, 1948). Thiabendazole showed 100.0% ovicidal capacity as early as 48 h after treatment. Inhibition of embryonal development was observed when thiabendazole was used. This drug also had an effect on the eggs infectivity when inoculated into normal mice. No significant effect on embryonal development was observed for the other drugs tested.

In vitro study on thiabendazole action on viability of Ascaris lumbricoides (Lineu, 1758) eggs

“…The use of anthelminthics focus only on the elimination of the worms and a temporary decrease in the prevalence rates 14 . Despite the effectiveness of ascariasis treatment, it can also result in a significant soil contamination since a high number of eggs are eliminated in the feces, enabling the presence of highly infectious microfoci 14 .…”

“…The use of anthelminthics focus only on the elimination of the worms and a temporary decrease in the prevalence rates 14 . Despite the effectiveness of ascariasis treatment, it can also result in a significant soil contamination since a high number of eggs are eliminated in the feces, enabling the presence of highly infectious microfoci 14 . Nevertheless, one should also consider that individual treatment is efficient using drugs without ovicidal activity, since they relieve or prevent the patients from the most serious symptoms of the parasitic infection such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, intestinal obstruction (very common among children), and the latter can lead to death.…”

“…Two slides per sample were examined. Egg-positive patients with viable A. lumbricoides eggs were treated with levamisole (non ovicidal drug 14 ) at a single dose of 150mg, independent of the body weight. Students with other helminth diseases or with infertile A. lumbricoides eggs were treated with mebendazole, 100mg base salt, twice a day, for three consecutive days.…”

Actividad in vitro de los venenos de Lachesis muta y Bothrops atrox sobre la viabilidad y desarrollo embrionario de los huevos de Ascaris suum

“…En un trabajo realizado sobre la viabilidad de los huevos de Ascaris lumbriocoides des pués de un tratamiento con drogas antihelmínticas (levamisol, cambendazol, pamoato de pyrantel, mebendazol, thiabendazol y praziquantel), sólo una de ellas, el thiabendazol, eliminó el 100% de los hue vos (Massara, 1991). En nuestro caso se ob tuvo un 100% de eficacia con el Albendazol in vitro; su efecto no fue corrosivo, actuó de generando y deteniendo el proceso de embrionación normal de los huevos (Figura 1 y 2), sin embargo no se observó efecto alguno en los huevos larvados.…”

Atividade de detergentes e desinfetantes sobre a evolução dos ovos de Ascaris lumbricoides

“…Ovos de Ascaris são resistentes a diversos fatores: terapêuticos (Massara, 1988;Massara et al, 1991), químicos (Pessoa & Martins, 1982) e ambientais (Goulart et al, 1985). Eles têm sido encontrados em resíduos de esgotos, mesmo após o tratamento (Amaral & Leal, 1940;Goulart et al, 1984) e em sanitários de escolas públicas (Coelho et al, 1999).…”