ABSTRACT

The efficacy of combination of aibendazole and mectizan (400 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg) over single doses of mectizan and albendazole (400 mg/kg and 3mg / kg respectively) in the treatment of lymphatic filariasis was assessed. The study was carried out within one-year interval (August 2003 and July, 2004) in four rural communities, in Obubra L.G.A, Cross River State, Nigeria Eight hundred and Eighty of the Two thousand individuals examined from the four communities who were microfilaria positive form the subjects for this study of the effect of different treatment regimens on the lymphatic microfilariae in the human blood stream. These positive cases were randomized into 3 groups and were treated as follows; albendazole alone, ivermectin (mectizan) alone, and combination of albendazole and mectizan. Treated individuals were monitored for 7 days to record any adverse reaction and the effect of treatment on microfilaraemia was followed up for one year. Treatment efficacy was eventually analysed for only eight hundred and one microfilaria positive individuals who had> or = 100mf/ml of blood and who were present for re-examination up to 12 months (one year) after treatment. All the 3 groups showed significantly (P > 0.5) reduced microfilariai load at the follow up examinations. Treatment with combination of albendazole and mectizan was significantly (P < 5.0) more effective in clearing microlilaria from night blood (90.4%) within one-year than any of the other regimens, (mectizan alone, 70.7% and albendazole alone, 59.5%). The entire 3 regimens were well tolerated and clinically safe, although few cases of mild reactions were observed in all the treatment groups. The study shows that lymphatic filariasis is prevalent in the studied communities and the combination of albendazole and mectizan is a safe and more effective single dose regimen for suppression of micro lilaraemia of lymphatic flariasis in human blood stream. Its use in the control programynes against lymphatic filariasis is recommendable.