Office-made 4% Albendazole Cream is an Effective Alternative Therapy for Cutaneous Larva Migrans: A Report of Three Cases

Abstract

Introduction. Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM), commonly called creeping eruption, is a parasitic skin disorder caused by the invasion of larva to the skin. This disease classically presents as serpiginous lesions. Larva frequently originates from fecal material of cats and dogs. The pruritus is usually intense and if not treated might disrupt activity, lead to secondary infection, and extend to other regions. Oral and topical antihelminthic agents are the first-line treatment with excellent clinical response. However, they are not always readily available, as is it the case in our region. We attempt to tackle this limitation by formulating an office-made albendazole cream. This report shows the clinical efficacy of our regimen in three cases of CLM.Case Report. We report three cases of CLM diagnosed through history taking and clinical presentation. All cases were treated with topical office-made albendazole as requested by the patients and due to resource limitation. The topical preparation was made by dissolving 400 mg albendazole tablet into sterile water and mixing it with Vaseline to form 4% cream. Three times daily application for seven days led to excellent clinical response.Conclusion. Our 4% office-made albendazole cream was shown to be effective in treating CLM. Thus, this simple and practical preparation may serve as an alternative treatment for CLM.

Repurposing Benzimidazoles against Causative Agents of Chromoblastomycosis: Albendazole Has Superior In Vitro Activity Than Mebendazole and Thiabendazole

“…Among the benzimidazoles with activity against the dematiaceous fungi herein studied, albendazole is suggested as the best option for drug repurposing, as it showed the highest selectivity index with all CBM agents tested. This drug can be used in the future in topical formulations, as it is currently recommended for other diseases [87], or, after modifications that improve its bioavailability, in oral or injectable formulations for this neglected mycosis. Future clinical trials are necessary to address this issue.…”

Albendazole and Mebendazole as Anti-Parasitic and Anti-Cancer Agents: an Update

“…However, longer period use of oral albendazole (400 mg daily), for 10–21 days, was reported in 5 cases of cutaneous larva migrans over buttocks and perianal regions in children [ 83 ]. Topical application of 4% albendazole cream (office-made with Vaseline) on the affected skin lesions of 3 cutaneous larva migrans cases also showed effects in 2 adults and 1 child patient [ 84 ].…”