Low efficacy of albendazole against Trichuris trichiura infection in schoolchildren from Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Ivan Müller; Lindsey Beyleveld; Markus Gerber; Uwe Pühse; Rosa du Randt; Jürg Utzinger; Leyli Zondie; Cheryl Walter; Peter Steinmann

doi:10.1093/trstmh/trw075

Low efficacy of albendazole against Trichuris trichiura infection in schoolchildren from Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2016 Nov;110(11):676-678. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trw075. Epub 2016 Dec 29.

Authors

Ivan Müller^{1

2

3}, Lindsey Beyleveld⁴, Markus Gerber³, Uwe Pühse³, Rosa du Randt⁵, Jürg Utzinger^{1

2}, Leyli Zondie⁴, Cheryl Walter⁵, Peter Steinmann^{6

2}

Affiliations

¹ Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.
² University of Basel, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland.
³ Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, St. Jakobsturm, Birsstrasse 320B, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa.
⁵ Department of Human Movement Science, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa.
⁶ Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland peter.steinmann@unibas.ch.

PMID: 28039389
DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trw075

Abstract

Background: Albendazole is one of two standard drugs for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis.

Methods: A total of 149 schoolchildren from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, were examined for soil-transmitted helminth infections using duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears before and 2 weeks after administration of albendazole (400 mg).

Results: Trichuris trichiura was the predominant soil-transmitted helminth species (prevalence 60.4%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (47.7%). While albendazole was highly efficacious against A. lumbricoides (cure rate [CR] 97.2%; egg reduction rate [ERR] 94.3%), it lacked efficacy against T. trichiura (CR 1.1%; ERR 46.0%).

Conclusions: Our study confirms low efficacy of single dose albendazole against T. trichiura. There is a need for safe and efficacious drugs against T. trichiura.

Keywords: Albendazole; Ascaris lumbricoides; Drug efficacy; Kato-Katz technique; South Africa; Trichuris trichiura.