Mansonella perstans: safety and efficacy of ivermectin alone, albendazole alone and the two drugs in combination

Abstract

The safety and efficacy of a single dose of ivermectin alone (150–200 μg/kg bodyweight), albendazole alone (400 mg) or the combination of these two drugs was assessed, in Uganda, in three groups of individuals infected with Mansonella perstans (with 15, 13 and 15 subjects in each group, respectively). No side-effects were observed or reported during the first 7 days post-treatment and every subject remained microfilaraemic during the 12 months of follow-up. In the subjects given ivermectin alone or albendazole alone, the microfilarial intensities consistently remained close to their pre-treatment levels. In the subjects given both drugs, however, the microfilarial intensities decreased slightly after treatment and at 1 and 3 months post-treatment (but not at 6, 9 or 12 months) they were significantly lower than in the two other groups combined. The three single-dose drug regimens investigated were thus well tolerated but had disappointingly low efficacies in the treatment of M. perstans microfilaraemias.