Suppressive treatment of schistosomiasis mansoni with spaced doses of lucanthone hydrochloride

Abstract

From 60 children infected with S. mansoni who started treatment on 500 mg. lucanthone hydrochloride a week for 10 weeks, 49 were observed for 26 weeks and 20 for 10 weeks longer. At the end of treatment a mean reduction in egg output of 83·4% had been obtained, but this increased to 89·5% at the 14th week and remained at this level through the 26th and 36th weeks. An overall parasitological “cure” rate of 36·7% was recorded but all “cures” came from the group of 27 children who had initial egg loads of less than 10,000 per whole stool. The mean reduction in egg output was, however, essentially the same irrespective of initial egg load. Two smaller control groups given ferrous fumarate and observed over the same period, showed significant increases in egg output by the 26th week of the observation period; the mean egg load increased from 0 to 1,900 per stool in one group and from 6,300 to 9,500 per stool in the other. There were no side effects; the drug was given by a nurse.