Effect of Vitamin A and Zinc Supplementation on Gastrointestinal Parasitic Infections Among Mexican Children

Abstract

We found that vitamin A and zinc supplementation was associated with distinct parasite-specific health outcomes. Vitamin A plus zinc reduces G. lamblia incidence, whereas zinc supplementation increases A. lumbricoides incidence but decreases E. histolytica-associated diarrhea.

Species-Specific Associations Between Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Micronutrients in Vietnamese Schoolchildren

“…30 However, two randomized placebo-controlled trials found no protective effect of vitamin A supplementation on Ascaris infection. 31,32 In the children in this study, both Trichuris and Ascaris reinfection rates were significantly decreased by the combination of multi-micronutrient fortified biscuits and albendazole treatment (P for interaction < 0.05). 7 Only for Ascaris, significantly lower egg counts were observed after consumption of fortified biscuits combined with albendazole treatment, compared with albendazole alone.…”

Albendazole increases serum retinol concentration in primary schoolchildren with low serum retinol

“…(8,9) Vitamin A supplementation showed no effect on reinfection with A. lumbricoides (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.79-1.56). (10) With regards to a reduction of A. lumbricoides infection intensity, only one lowquality evidence with moderate-to-weak positive effects was found. (11) Vitamin A increased the odds of having improved levels of IL-4, which is part of the Th2 response against helminths, in one study (strong positive effect, high quality evidence).…”

“…(11) Vitamin A increased the odds of having improved levels of IL-4, which is part of the Th2 response against helminths, in one study (strong positive effect, high quality evidence). (10) A study in Bangladesh on children aged 24-60 months showed that administration of albendazole only at a dose of 400g/day at baseline and 4 months later, was able to increase serum retinol concentrations. (12) Studies of preschool-age children in Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia, however, showed that combined deworming and supplementation with beta-carotene, an inactive form of vitamin A, resulted in the greatest rise in serum retinol levels, as compared to children treated with deworming alone or beta-carotene supplementation exclusively.…”

The old and new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of giardiasis: Where are we?

“…14 Resistance to different drugs used in the treatment of this disease has been reported and the number of cases is likely to increase. [15][16][17] A variety of chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-nitroimidazole compounds, quinacrine, furazolidone, paromomycin, benzimidazole compounds, nitazoxanide have been used in the therapy for giardiasis. Nevertheless, therapeutic regimens and therapy reviews are little explored.…”

“…[18][19][20] Furthermore, Giardia seems to have a great ability to resist these agents. 17,19,21,22 In this context, the study of new chemotherapeutic agents plays a fundamental role -along with the reviews of the actually used drugs -in the rationale for treatment of giardiasis on the basis of more consistent data.…”