Praziquantel is an effective drug for the treatment of Schistosoma Mansoni infection among school-aged children in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: The appropriate drug for the treatment of schistosomiasis is praziquantel. However, low cure rate and existence of drug resistance both in vivo and in vitro were reported in different endemic areas. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of praziquantel for Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Sanja General Primary School, North Gondar Zone, Amhara region, Northwest of Ethiopia, from March to April, 2017. A total of 245 participants were selected using systematic random sampling. A stool specimen was collected from each participant and examined for S. mansoni ova load count using Kato-Katz technique. Two hundred four infected participants were treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel 40 mg/kg. Four weeks later post-treatment, stool specimens were collected from 176 study participants. The samples were collected using similar procedures like the pre-treatment phase to see egg reduction and cure status. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 Pearson chi-square (χ 2) was used to determine the association of effectiveness of the drug with the average egg count, age group, and sex. P value ≤ 0.05 at 95% CI was considered statistically significant. Results: Pre-treatment prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 83.3% (204/245) with geometric mean egg count of 357.8. In those not cured post-treatment, the prevalence and egg per gram in geometric mean egg count were 13.1% and 77.6 respectively. After 4 weeks of administration of praziquantel, the cure rate was 86.9% with egg reduction rate of 78.3%. Effectiveness of the drug was not statistically associated with sex, age group, and pre-treatment intensity of infection. Conclusion: S. mansoni prevalence was high. Praziquantel is an effective drug for the treatment of S. mansoni. This high prevalence of S. mansoni requires mass drug administration of praziquantel.

A Cross Sectional Assessment on Distribution of Snail and Risk Factors of Schistosoma Mansoni Infection in Proximity to Water Contact Points in Gorgora Town, Western Dembia District, Northwest Ethiopia.

“…This result is higher when compared to studies carried out in Western Kenya 16.3% (10), Kwale, 0.0% 11 In the current study S. mansoni intensity of study participants was 30.5%, 27.0% and 42.6% for light, moderate, and heavy infection, respectively. The present study has high proportion of heavy intensity of infection, compared with a report from Western Kenya, (9.8%)(10), Sanja, Northwest Ethiopia, (18.7%) (32), Sanja, Northwest Ethiopia, (36.3%) (26), and Addiremets town, Western Tigray, Ethiopia, (16.7%) (21). Similarly, In Mbita District, Western Kenya, the intensity of infection was 16.1% heavy infections (25).…”

Efficacy of Praziquantel for the Treatment of Human Schistosomiasis in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…This might be associated with the high endemicity of the disease in the Amhara region. Several studies indicated high prevalence (>83%) of S. mansoni in the region [ 12 , 13 , 38 ]. The high prevalence and intensity of infection may contribute to the slightly lower efficacy of praziquantel in the region.…”

“…In contrast, a higher cure rate of praziquantel was reported among individuals infected with S. mansoni than those infected with S. haematobium in Cameroon [51]. e difference in the the region [12,13,38]. e high prevalence and intensity of infection may contribute to the slightly lower efficacy of praziquantel in the region.…”

“…As a result, 17 articles were further excluded in the data extraction process primarily due to the outcome of interest, having no cure rate, and lack of clear figures on the total number of study participants and treated cases. Only 15 articles [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis (Figure 1).…”

Efficacy of Praziquantel Treatment for <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> Infection Among Children in Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…This systematic review was conducted in order to estimate the pooled cure rate and egg reduction rate of PZQ against Schistosoma mansoni infection among pre-school and school age children from 2002 [28] up to 2020 [33]. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the cure rate of PZQ against Schistosoma mansoni infection among children ranges from 73.6% to 99.1% with an overall pooled CR of 86.65% with 95% CI of 83.4%-93.9%.…”