title: Current status of the efficacy and effectiveness of albendazole and mebendazole for the treatment of Ascaris lumbricoides in North-Western Indonesia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of albendazole and mebendazole in the treatment of Ascaris lumbricoides (A. lumbricoides) in the North-Western Indonesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  229 primary school children who were positive for A. lumbricoides in their stool were recruited in the study. 123 children received single-dose of 400 mg albendazole and 106 children received single-dose 500 mg of mebendazole. After 1 week, their stools were examined for the cure rate (CR) and egg reduction rate (ERR). Egg culture was also performed and observation was made on week-1, -3, -4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  have shown a non-significant difference in CR 96.7%vs. 100% and ERR of 99.3%vs. 100.0% for albendazole and mebendazole groups respectively (P>0.05). In-vitro egg culture has shown trends of decrease in the percentage of the unfertilized eggs and in ≥ 2 cell eggs in both treatment groups (P<0.05). The embryonated eggs from the albendazole groups has shown an increase from 7.3% on week-1 to 13.8% on week-4, whilst the mebendazole group has shown a constant increase during the whole 4 weeks of culture from 7.5% to 28.3% (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No evidence of drug resistance is noted so far from the area of North-Western part of Indonesia. In addition, although both drugs showed incomplete ovicidal effects, single-dose albendazole is better than mebendazole in sterilizing A. lumbricoides eggs.
authors: Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Sumatera, Medan, Indonesia. inkelubis@yahoo.com
authors: Inke Nadia Diniyanti
authors: IN
authors: Lubis
authors: Syahril
authors: S
authors: Pasaribu
authors: Chairuddin Panusunan
authors: CP
authors: Lubis
mesh_terms: D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides; D002648:Child; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D008463:Mebendazole; D015766:Albendazole