Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Assessment of the anthelmintic efficacy of albendazole in school children in seven countries where soil-transmitted helminths are endemic
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Volume 5, No. 3, Article e948, Year 2011
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Background: The three major soil-transmitted helminths (STH) Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Necator americanus/Ancylostoma duodenale are among the most widespread parasites worldwide. Despite the global expansion of preventive anthelmintic treatment, standard operating procedures to monitor anthelmintic drug efficacy are lacking. The objective of this study, therefore, was to define the efficacy of a single 400 milligram dose of albendazole (ALB) against these three STH using a standardized protocol. Methodology/Principal Findings: Seven trials were undertaken among school children in Brazil, Cameroon, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Tanzania and Vietnam. Efficacy was assessed by the Cure Rate (CR) and the Fecal Egg Count Reduction (FECR) using the McMaster egg counting technique to determine fecal egg counts (FEC). Overall, the highest CRs were observed for A. lumbricoides (98.2%) followed by hookworms (87.8%) and T. trichiura (46.6%). There was considerable variation in the CR for the three parasites across trials (country), by age or the pre-intervention FEC (pre-treatment). The latter is probably the most important as it had a considerable effect on the CR of all three STH. Therapeutic efficacies, as reflected by the FECRs, were very high for A. lumbricoides (99.5%) and hookworms (94.8%) but significantly lower for T. trichiura (50.8%), and were affected to different extents among the 3 species by the pre-intervention FEC counts and trial (country), but not by sex or age. Conclusions/Significance: Our findings suggest that a FECR (based on arithmetic means) of &95% for A. lumbricoides and &90% for hookworms should be the expected minimum in all future surveys, and that therapeutic efficacy below this level following a single dose of ALB should be viewed with concern in light of potential drug resistance. A standard threshold for efficacy against T. trichiura has yet to be established, as a single-dose of ALB is unlikely to be satisfactory for this parasite. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01087099. © 2011 Vercruysse et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3066140/bin/pntd.0000948.s001.doc
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3066140/bin/pntd.0000948.s002.pdf
Authors & Co-Authors
Vercruysse, Jozef
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Behnke, Jerzy Marian B.
United Kingdom, Nottingham
University of Nottingham
Albonico, Marco
Tanzania, Mkokotoni, Zanzibar
Pemba Public Health Laboratory
Ame, Shaali Makame
Tanzania, Mkokotoni, Zanzibar
Pemba Public Health Laboratory
Angebault, Cécile
Cambodia, Phnom Penh
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge
Bethony, Jeffrey Michael
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz
Engels, Dirk A.
Switzerland, Geneva
Organisation Mondiale de la Santé
Guillard, Bertrand
Cambodia, Phnom Penh
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge
Hoa, Nguyen Thi Viet
Viet Nam, Hanoi
National Institute for Malariology
Kang, Gagandeep
India, Vellore
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Kattula, Deepthi
India, Vellore
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Kotze, Andrew C.
Australia, Canberra
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
McCarthy, James S.
Australia, Brisbane
The University of Queensland
Mekonnen, Zeleke Abebaw
Ethiopia, Jimma
Jimma University
Montresor, Antonio
Switzerland, Geneva
Organisation Mondiale de la Santé
Periago, Maria Victoria
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz
Sumo, Laurentine
Cameroon, Yaounde
Université de Yaoundé I
Tchuem Tchuenté, Louis Albert
Cameroon, Yaounde
Université de Yaoundé I
Thach, Dang Thi Cam
Viet Nam, Hanoi
National Institute for Malariology
Zeynudin, Ahmed
Ethiopia, Jimma
Jimma University
Levecke, Bruno
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Statistics
Citations: 221
Authors: 21
Affiliations: 12
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pntd.0000948
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
Cameroon
Ethiopia
Tanzania