Treatment Of Bancroftian Filariasis Research Articles

Diethylcarbamazine in the treatment of Bancroft's filariasis

The authors presented a detailed review about the treatment of bancroftian filariasis with diethylcarbamazine. The interesting aspects about the drug discovery and the basic concepts about its pharmacology were reported in a summarised form. On the other hand, emphasis was made about the speculation done by several authors about the intriguing findings regarding its efficacy reported in the literature. Latter, it was brought the new advances about the disease, as for example, the visualization by ultrasound of living Wuchereria bancrofti adult worm on its natural host--the human being. This made possible the comprehension of several paradoxical issues reported, focusing the treatment of infection using diethylcarbamazine. So far, because of the lack of ideal drug with micro and macrofilaricidal properties, together with the new understand about the disease and the new parameters for monitoring the efficacy of the drug, diethylcarbamazine has back its importance conquered at the begin of its discovery, almost fifth years ago.

Treatment of bancroftian filariasis in Recife, Brazil: a two-year comparative study of the efficacy of single treatments with ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine

The effectiveness of single oral doses of ivermectin (200 or 400 (μg/kg) and diethylcarbamazine (DEC, 6 mg/kg), preceded 4 d earlier by either placebo or very small doses of these drugs, was compared, over a 2-year period, in a double-blind trial in 67 microfilaraemic Brazilian men with bancroftian filariasis. Regimens containing ivermectin alone decreased the number of microfilariae significantly faster and more effectively for the first month after treatment than regimens containing DEC alone, but the latter were significantly more effective throughout the second year after treatment (1.7–8.2% of pretreatment levels with DEC vs. 12.6–30.8% with ivermectin during that period); the higher ivermectin dose showed a tendency towards more effectiveness than the lower dose. Most effective was the combination of ivermectin (20 μg/kg) followed 4 d later by DEC (6 mg/kg), with reduction of microfilaraemia to 2.4% of pretreatment levels at 2 years. Adverse reactions were well tolerated with all regimens, the reactions being significantly more generalized (i.e., fever) following ivermectin and localized (i.e., scrotal inflammatory nodules around dying adult worms) following DEC. Further trials of single-dose combination therapy vs. single high doses of ivermectin or DEC should determine the ideal regimen for treatment and control of bancroftian filariasis.

Changes in Circulating Parasite Antigen Levels after Treatment of Bancroftian Filariasis with Diethylcarbamazine and Ivermectin

This study assessed changes in circulating parasite antigen levels after diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and ivermectin treatment of bancroftian filariasis to determine effects of these drugs on adult Wuchereria bancrofti in vivo. Thirty adult Haitians with microfilaremia were treated with 1 mg of ivermectin to reduce counts of microfilariae. Later, subjects were treated with either one or two 200 micrograms/kg doses of ivermectin or with 12 daily 6 mg/kg doses of DEC. Macrofilaricidal activity of these drugs was indirectly monitored by measuring circulating W. bancrofti antigen by EIA. Antigen levels fell by 75% after DEC and by 34% after ivermectin. These results suggest that low-dose ivermectin treatment followed by a standard course of DEC is a more effective macrofilaricidal regimen for W. bancrofti than either of the multidose ivermectin regimens used in this study.

MSbB in the treatment of bancroftian filariasis

1. 1) MSbB given by mouth to 10 patients for approximately 1 week had a significant filaricidal effect on W. bancrofti. 2. 2) The tolerance towards the test dosage of 8–19 mg./kg. daily and 49–138 mg./kg. for the total dose, was satisfactory.

Follow-up observations on the treatment of bancroftian filariasis with hetrazan in British Guiana.

SummaryFollow-up observations are given for periods up to 14 months on a group of Guianese patients infected with Wuchereria bancrofti and treated with various doses of Hetrazan. Negative microfilarial counts were maintained in 53 out of 83 patients (63.9 per cent) for 14 months, and with few exceptions the remainder exhibited counts far below the original. The reduction in total microfilariaemia within the entire group was greater than 90 per cent, including all dose ranges of Hetrazan. With the exception of total doses less than 50 mg. per kg. no significant relationship could be determined between the amount of Hetrazan administered and the presence or absence of microfilariae during the follow up period. The greatest number of recurrences occurred at the 6th month follow up examination and declined thereafter. No new recurrences of small numbers of circulating microfilariae occurred during the 12th, 13th or 14th months.Clinical symptoms after treatment varied considerably. Some patients who showed complete or partial relief from pretreatment during therapy remained free of symptoms throughout the follow-up period and are apparently cured. Others revealed recurrences of pretreatment symptoms with various degrees of frequency after treatment. The number of microfilariae present after treatment seemed to bear no relationship to the presence or absence of symptoms after treatment.It is believed that the sustained absence of microfilariae in a large proportion of the patients treated, together with the complete absence of symptoms after treatment in many cases, demonstrates indirectly that mature worms are permanently affected by treatment with Hetrazan.

Treatment of Bancroftian Filariasis with Hetrazan 1 in British Guiana

Treatment of Bancroftian Filariasis with Hetrazan 1 in British Guiana