Effects of multiple monthly doses of ivermectin on adult Onchocerca volvulus.
This paper assesses the effects on adult Onchocerca volvulus of monthly doses of ivermectin (150 micrograms/kg) given over 4, 8, and 12 months to patients in Guatemala. Nodules were removed 4 months after the last dose; the adult O. volvulus were extracted by collagenase digestion, studied by histological techniques, and compared with worms from untreated patients. Twelve monthly doses killed a proportion of the adult worms (12% of males and 22% of females), leaving the remainder relatively unaffected and the females slowly resuming embryogenesis. After 8 and 12 doses, a number of female worms had resumed embryogenesis in 1 genital tract only, and in 1 female a total degeneration of 1 ovary was seen. Ivermectin also led to a marked drop in the number of male worms in nodules. No serious adverse reactions occurred and the treatment was well accepted.
Duke
B O
BO
American Registry of Pathology, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Histopathology of Filarial Diseases in Man, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C.
Zea-Flores
G
G
Castro
J
J
Cupp
E W
EW
Muñoz
B
B
D000818:Animals; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006166:Guatemala; D006801:Humans; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008842:Microfilariae / Q000187:drug effects; D009854:Onchocerca / Q000187:drug effects*; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D010270:Parasite Egg Count
D007559:Ivermectin