New Advances in the Treatment of Trichuriasis

Abstract

Purpose of review Infection with the intestinal nematode Trichuris trichiura is a common public health relevant human infection. Since the commonly used drugs show low efficacy against this infection, recent literature about the state-of-the-art treatment of trichuriasis is reviewed particularly with regard to current efforts to improve the situation. Recent findings The drugs albendazole and mebendazole are widely used in preventive chemotherapy in high-risk areas around the world, since they are easy to administer and also effective against other soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Unfortunately, both drugs show poor efficacy against T. trichiura, and the efficacy tends to decrease over time. New treatment options including combinations of the available drugs or drugs used in veterinary medicine are emerging and currently tested. A novel potential antihelminthic drug class has been recently identified, which could possibly aid also in the environmental control of the infection. Summary Due to the low and decreasing effectiveness of the commonly used drugs, more effective drugs against trichuriasis are urgently needed. There have been attempts to increase the efficacy of currently used drugs by combining them. Furthermore, new drugs are being tested against STH infections. Dihydrobenzoxazepinones could be a promising new class of antihelminths with potential use in environmental infection control, too. Future research should concentrate on developing broad-spectrum treatments effective against several worm species in order to broaden the impact of current preventive chemotherapy programs.