The role of albendazole in programmes to eliminate lymphatic filariasis.
Ottesen EA, Ismail MM, Horton J.
Communicable Diseases Eradication and Elimination Department, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. ottensene@who.int
Citing earlier advances in the treatment of lymphatic filariasis [particularly the effectiveness of single-dose diethylcarbamazine (DEC) in reducing microfilaraemia and its enhanced effectiveness when co-administered with single-dose ivermectin], Eric Ottesen, Mahroof Ismail and John Horton consider recent studies on the antifilarial activity of albendazole that have led to the current recommendations for its use in single-dose regimens in conjunction with either DEC or ivermectin for large-scale control/elimination programmes. Furthermore, the potential of albendazole as a macrofilaricide for treating individual patients with lymphatic filarial infections is emphasized as one of a number of important research questions that remain to be explored.
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PMID: 10461168 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]