Evaluation of the efficacy of pyrantel-oxantel for the treatment of soil-transmitted nematode infections.
Albonico, Marco;
Bickle, Quentin;
Haji, Hamad J;
Ramsan, Mahdi;
Khatib, Khatib J;
Montresor, Antonio;
Savioli, Lorenzo;
Taylor, Martin;
(2002)
Evaluation of the efficacy of pyrantel-oxantel for the treatment of soil-transmitted nematode infections.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 96 (6).
pp. 685-690.
ISSN 0035-9203
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0035-9203(02)90352-4
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A randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of pyrantel-oxantel (10 mg/kg) with mebendazole (500 mg) was performed on 1329 schoolchildren aged 6-9 years on Pemba Island in September-October 2000 to evaluate alternative single-dose drugs for regular treatment of intestinal nematode infections. Both mebendazole and pyrantel-oxantel were very effective in eliminating Ascaris lumbricoides infection, inducing cure rates of more than 96% and reducing the mean egg counts by more than 95%. Both drugs had a moderate efficacy against Trichuris trichiura infection, but pyrantel-oxantel had a higher cure rate (31.5% vs. 23.3%, P < 0.01), though the reductions in egg counts did not differ significantly and were more than 80%. Pyrantel-oxantel and mebendazole had a similar, poor efficacy in curing hookworm infections and had a moderate effect in reducing the egg counts by 67% and 68%, respectively. Pyrantel-oxantel (10 mg/kg) offers a valuable alternative to mebendazole as a single-dose treatment for the control of intestinal nematode infections in children in endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa, due to its comparable efficacy, its low cost and its suitability for use in young children.