Abstract

BackgroundThe impact of semiannual mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole (ALB; 400 mg) alone on lymphatic filariasis (LF) and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections was assessed during two trials conducted from 2012 to 2018 in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The collected data were analyzed to evaluate the effect of compliance with ALB treatment on STH infections.MethodsSTH infections were diagnosed with duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears and the results are reported as eggs per gram of stool. All subjects with at least two STH infection assessments were included in the analyses. We used parametric survival models to assess the influence of compliance with ALB treatment on the probability of (i) achieving sustained clearance of an STH infection, and (ii) acquiring an STH infection during the follow-up.ResultsOut of 2658 subjects included in the trials, data on 202 participants (701 person-years; PY) with hookworm infection, 211 (651 PY) with Ascaris lumbricoides infection and 270 (1013 PY) with Trichuris trichiura infection were available to calculate the probability of achieving sustained clearance of infection. The effect of ALB was dose related for all three STH. For hookworm, the time required for sustained clearance was longer (4.3 years, P < 0.001) for participants who took zero doses per year and shorter (3.4 years, P = 0.112) for participants who took two doses per year compared to those who took one dose per year (3.7 years). For Ascaris, the time required to obtain sustained clearance followed the same pattern: 6.1 years (P < 0.001) and 3.2 years (P = 0.004) vs 3.6 years for, zero, two and one dose per year, respectively. For Trichuris, less time was required for sustained clearance (4.2 years, P < 0.001) for fully compliant participants, i.e. those who took two doses per year, than for those who only took one dose per year (5.0 years). ALB was more effective in achieving sustained clearance of STH infection in subjects with light baseline infection intensities compared to those with higher egg counts.ConclusionOur results illustrate the importance of MDA compliance at the level of the individual with respect to the STH benefit provided by semiannual ALB MDA, which is used for the elimination of LF in Central Africa.Graphical

Highlights

  • The impact of semiannual mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole (ALB; 400 mg) alone on lymphatic filariasis (LF) and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections was assessed during two trials conducted from 2012 to 2018 in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Study participants For the sustained clearance model, repeated observations were made for the hookworm infection analysis for 202 of 2658 participants enrolled in the studies (7.6%), with 701 PY of observations

  • Stool examinations were negative for hookworm for 135 of these participants (66.8% of individuals diagnosed with hookworm infection at their first parasitological exam) during the course of the study, which remained the case until their last follow-up visit

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Summary

Introduction

The impact of semiannual mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole (ALB; 400 mg) alone on lymphatic filariasis (LF) and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections was assessed during two trials conducted from 2012 to 2018 in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The second study took place in two contiguous villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where hookworm infection prevalence decreased significantly from 58.6% to 21.2% after eight rounds of ALB MDA with a global treatment adherence of between 56 and 88%; Ascaris and Trichuris infection prevalences decreased (from 14.0% to 1,6% and from 4.1% to 2.9%, respectively) [5]. The results of these two trials are consistent with those previously observed regarding ALB efficacy: according to a meta-analysis of more than 50 clinical trials, ALB has very good efficacy for clearing hookworm infections, good efficacy for Ascaris infections, but only moderate efficacy for Trichuris infections [6]

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