Seasonality as a determinant of the efficacy of praziquantel in population-based chemotherapy: lessons from the practice.
During October-November 1991, 1356 male farmers, 18-40 years old from a village in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt, were examined for Schistosoma haematobium infection. The prevalence of infection was 22.2%. Infected farmers were treated immediately with praziquantel at the recommended dose of 40 mg/kg body weight in a single, oral dose. Twelve weeks after treatment 86/262 (32.8%) infected farmers were negative for S. haematobium eggs in urine. In another study conducted in a satellite village in the Nile Delta (Beheira Governorate) where S. mansoni infection is prevalent, all residents of both sexes between 5 and 50 years of age (n = 858) were examined for S. mansoni. The prevalence of S. mansoni was 69.0%. Infected subjects were treated with the same dose of praziquantel during January-February 94, with an overall resultant efficacy of 85.5% (471/551) and 97.2% (103/106) in 18-40 years old males 8-10 weeks post treatment. The high cure rate in the second study was probably because treatment took place 2 months after the end of the high transmission season.
Abu-Elyazeed
R R
RR
U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
Mansour
N S
NS
Youssef
F G
FG
Boghdadi
A M
AM
el Khoby
T A
TA
Hassanein
Y A
YA
el Gamal
R R
RR
D000818:Animals; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012556:Schistosomicides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012621:Seasons; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D012556:Schistosomicides; D011223:Praziquantel