Treatment failure in intestinal strongyloidiasis: an indicator of HTLV-I infection.
BACKGROUND
The association of severe strongyloides with HTLV-I is well known; however, the seroprevalence of HTLV-I in other groups with strongyloidiasis is still unknown. We conducted a prospective study in patients with intestinal strongyloidiasis without known immunodepression who failed to respond to standard therapy with ivermectin or thiabendazole (failure was defined as one positive stool examination at the post-therapy follow up). All these patients were tested for HTLV-I by ELISA and Western Blot.


RESULTS
Forty seven patients were evaluated: 74.5% (35 out of 47) were HTLV-I positive, without significant difference between males (76%) and females (72.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
We recommend that all patients with uncomplicated intestinal strongyloidiasis, who fail standard therapy, be studied for HTLV-I infection.
Terashima
Angelica
A
Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú.
Alvarez
Humberto
H
Tello
Raúl
R
Infante
Rosa
R
Freedman
David O
DO
Gotuzzo
Eduardo
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017171:Strongyloides stercoralis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013827:Thiabendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure
D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D007559:Ivermectin; D013827:Thiabendazole