Publication Database

Comment on "The optimal timing of post-treatment sampling for the assessment of anthelminthic drug efficacy against Ascaris infections in humans" (2018)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Krücken, Jürgen (WE 13)

Fraundorfer, Kira (WE 13)

Mugisha, Jean Claude

Ramünke, Sabrina (WE 13)

Sifft, Kevin C

Geus, Dominik

Habarugira, Felix

Ndoli, Jules

Sendegeya, Augustin

Mukampunga, Caritas

Aebischer, Toni

McKay-Demeler, Janina

Gahutu, Jean Bosco

Mockenhaupt, Frank P

von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg (WE 13)

Quelle

International journal of parasitology : Drugs and drug resistance

Bandzählung: 8

Heftzählung: 2

Seiten: 329 – 330

ISSN: 2211-3207

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.05.004

Pubmed: 29800794

Kontakt

Institut für Parasitologie und Tropenveterinärmedizin

Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62310
parasitologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

A recent publication by Levecke et al. (Int. J. Parasitol, 2018, 8, 67-69) provides important insights into the kinetics of worm expulsion from humans following treatment with albendazole. This is an important aspect of determining the optimal time-point for post treatment sampling to examine anthelmintic drug efficacy. The authors conclude that for the determination of drug efficacy against Ascaris, samples should be taken not before day 14 and recommend a period between days 14 and 21. Using this recommendation, they conclude that previous data (Krücken et al., 2017; Int. J. Parasitol, 7, 262-271) showing a reduction of egg shedding by 75.4% in schoolchildren in Rwanda and our conclusions from these data should be interpreted with caution. In reply to this, we would like to indicate that the very low efficacy of 0% in one school and 52-56% in three other schools, while the drug was fully efficient in other schools, cannot simply be explained by the time point of sampling. Moreover, there was no correlation between the sampling day and albendazole efficacy. We would also like to indicate that we very carefully interpreted our data and, for example, nowhere claimed that we found anthelmintic resistance. Rather, we stated that our data indicated that benzimidazole resistance may be suspected in the study population. We strongly agree that the data presented by Levecke et al. suggests that recommendations for efficacy testing of anthelmintic drugs should be revised.