title: Levamisole in the treatment of chronic brucellosis.
abstract: Ten patients with chronic brucellosis were treated with levamisole, 150mg daily for 3 consecutive days every week for 6 months. Patients were followed up for another 6 months after the end of treatment. By the end of the treatment period, patients improved clinically, their E rosettes showed a significant increase and specific leukocyte inhibition migration factor (LIF) was produced. By the end of the follow up period, all patients except one became symptom free, antiglobulin titers were very low or negative, E rosettes showed a further increase ranging to normal levels and specific LIF activity was not detected to most of the patients. Our results suggest that levamisole might prove to be beneficial in the treatment of chronic brucellosis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D002464:Cell Migration Inhibition; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003298:Coombs Test; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007978:Levamisole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012397:Rosette Formation
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D007978:Levamisole