title: Strongyloides ratti: in vitro and in vivo activity of tribendimidine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Strongyloidiasis is a truly neglected tropical disease, but its public health significance is far from being negligible. At present, only a few drugs are available for the treatment and control of strongyloidiasis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We investigated the activity of tribendimidine against third-stage larvae (L(3)) of Strongyloides ratti in vitro and against juvenile and adult stages of the parasite in vivo. S. ratti larvae incubated in PBS buffer containing 10-100 microg/ml tribendimidine died within 24 hours. A single 50 mg/kg oral dose of tribendimidine administered to rats infected with 1-day-old S. ratti showed no effect. The same dose administered to rats harboring a 2-day-old infection showed a moderate reduction of the intestinal parasite load. Three days post-exposure a significant reduction of the immature worm burden was found. Administration of tribendimidine at doses of 50 mg/kg and above to rats harboring mature S. ratti resulted in a complete elimination of the larval and adult worm burden. For comparison, we also administered ivermectin at a single 0.5 mg/kg oral dose to rats infected with adult S. ratti and found a 90% reduction of larvae and a 100% reduction of adult worms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tribendimidine exhibits activity against S. ratti in vitro and in vivo. The effect of tribendimidine in humans infected with S. stercoralis should be assessed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland. jennifer.keiser@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keiser
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thiemann
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Endriss
authors.forename: Jürg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utzinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010655:Phenylenediamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017170:Strongyloides ratti / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D010655:Phenylenediamines; C056017:tribendimidine; D007559:Ivermectin