Control trial of soil-transmitted helminthic infections with pyrantel pamoate

Abstract

Pyrantel pamoate at dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight was given to each subject at 4-6 week intervals on three occasions. The infection rates of hookworms among both those who received the treatment and those who did not decreased from 60.5% pre-treatment to 19.6% after the third treatment and then increased to 32.4% by one year after the third treatment. Infection rates of A. lumbricoides and Strongyloides among the villagers who received and did not receive the drug decreased from 27.5% pre-treatment to 2.2% after the third treatment and then increased to 20.1% one year later for the former, while the latter decreased from 6.5% pre-treatment to 2.3% after the third treatment and 0.4% one year later. The infection rate of T. trichiura was found to increase as pyrantel pamoate had no effect on this nematode. The authors suggested that to obtain more satisfactory results the anthelmintic drug used must likewise be effective against T. trichiura particularly in areas where this nematode is a public health problem. It was also suggested that the duration of treatment should be prolonged.