Comparison of four nitroimidazole compounds for treatment of symptomatic amoebiasis in Kenya. Tinidazole and metronidazole in the treatment of intestinal amoebiasis. Comparative Study of the Efficacy and Tolerability of Secnidazole Suspension (single dose) and Tinidazole Suspension (two days dosage) in the Treatment of Amebiasis in Children. Treatment of non-invasive amoebiasis--a comparison between tinidazole and metronidazole. [COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ALBENDAZOLE VERSUS NITROFURANS AND NITROIMIDAZOLES IN THE TREATMENT OF GIARDIASIS IN CHILDREN] Split-dose metronidazole or single-dose tinidazole for the treatment of vaginal trichomoniasis. Seven day metronidazole versus single dose tinidazole as therapy for nonspecific vaginitis. Comparative trial of tinidazole and metronidazole in intestinal amebiasis. [Randomized study comparing the safety and efficacy of albendazole and metronidazole in the treatment of giardiasis in children]. A comparison of a short course of single daily dosage therapy of tinidazole with metronidazole in intestinal amoebiasis. Short course of single daily dosage treatment with tinidazole and metronidazole in intestinal amoebiasis: a comparative study. Cefminox versus metronidazole plus gentamicin intra-abdominal infections: a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. A multicenter study to compare cefotetan alone with cefotetan and metronidazole as prophylaxis against infection in elective colorectal operations. Treatment of trichomoniasis in the female. A comparison of metronidazole and nimorazole. [Perioperative antibiotic prevention in colon and rectum surgery. A randomized study on the value of single dose prevention]. A randomized multicentre trial of pefloxacin plus metronidazole and gentamicin plus metronidazole in the treatment of severe intra-abdominal infections. Report from a Swedish Study Group. Failure of topically applied antibiotics, added to systemic prophylaxis, to reduce perineal wound infection in abdominoperineal excision of the rectum. Treatment of symptomatic trichomoniasis among adult women using oral nitroimidazoles. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial of single-dose intravaginal versus single-dose oral metronidazole in the treatment of trichomonal vaginitis. Failure of single-dose metronidazole prophylaxis in colorectal surgery. No benefit from high dosage or combination with nalidixic acid. Effectiveness of single dose prophylaxis with cefotaxime and metronidazole compared with three doses of cefotaxime alone in elective colorectal surgery. Systemic prophylaxis with gentamicin-metronidazole in appendicectomy and colorectal surgery: a prospective controlled clinical study. Systemic Timentin is superior to oral tinidazole for antibiotic prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery. University of Melbourne Colorectal Group. A randomized trial of intravaginal nonoxynol 9 versus oral metronidazole in the treatment of vaginal trichomoniasis. Randomised trial of efficacy of benznidazole in treatment of early Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Comparative study of aminosidine, etophamide and nimorazole, alone or in combination, in the treatment of intestinal amoebiasis in Kenya. Nitazoxanide compared with quinfamide and mebendazole in the treatment of helminthic infections and intestinal protozoa in children.
Four antiamoebic drugs currently used in many Kenyan hospitals and health centres were compared for their efficacy on symptomatic luminal amoebiasis in Kiambu, Kilifi, and Machakos hospitals during this study. The drugs were; the brand metronidazole (Flagyl, May & Baker, Kenya Ltd.), the generic metronidazole (Metrozol, Cosmos Ltd., Nairobi, Kenya), the brand tinidazole (Fasigyn, Pfizer Laboratories Ltd.) and the generic tinidazole (Tynazole Laboratory and Allied Equipments, Kenya Ltd). Clinical cure was achieved in all individuals receiving any of the four drugs. Parasitological cure was better for those receiving either Flagyl or Fasigyn, than those receiving the generic counterparts. Both parasitological and clinical cures were achieved in about 50% of all those who received either Flagyl or Fasigyn. It appears that Flagyl and Fasigyn are not as efficacious as previously reported but are still much better than their generic counterparts for the treatment of symptomatic Entamoeba histolytica infections. Sixty adult patients with symptomatic intestinal amoebiasis and with Entamoeba histolytica present in stools were allocated at random to treatment with tinidazole or metronidazole, both administered in a dose of 2 g once daily for 3 consecutive days. The treatment period was extended in patients with stools positive for Entamoeba histolytica on the day following the last treatment day. Fifty-six patients, 29 on tinidazole and 27 on metronidazole, completed the trial as per the protocol. Twenty-eight patients (96.5%) on tinidazole and 15 (55.5%) on metronidazole were cured. Parasitological cure with partial relief of symptoms was obtained in 1 (3.5%) and 5 (18.5%) patients on tinidazole and metronidazole, respectively. Seven patients (26%) on metronidazole were treatment failures. Treatment had to be extended beyond 3 day in 53% of patients (8/15) on metronidazole as opposed to 11% (3/28) on tinidazole (p less than 0.01). The total number of side-effects, their severity, and the types were more in the metronidazole group. No toxic effects due to either drug were recorded. Tinidazole provided significantly higher cure rates than metronidazole in the treatment of symptomatic intestinal amoebiasis (p less than 0.01), and was better tolerated than metronidazole. Amebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica may be considered the most aggressive parasitic disease affecting human intestine, causing acute amoebic colitis and extra-intestinal diseases of high morbidity and mortality. 5-nitroimidazoles are the drugs of choice. In this multicenter, open and random clinical trial, the efficacy and tolerability of secnidazole suspension in a single oral dose of 1ml/kg was compared with 0.5ml/kg doses of tinidazole suspension given for 2 consecutive days to 303 Entamoeba histolytica-positive children aged 2 to 13. Patients with extra-intestinal complications were excluded from the study. Clinical and parasitological follow-up using the Faust and Kato-Katz method were carried out 7, 14, and 21 days after treatment. Clinical improvement/cure was observed in 93% of the patients in the secnidazole group and 91% in the tinidazole group. Parasitological success was reported for 77% and 63% of the secnidazole and tinidazole patients, respectively, showing a significant statistical difference between the two groups (p=0.007). Both drugs were well tolerated, and the adverse effects reported were mild, consisting mainly of digestive disturbances. This comparative study showed that a single oral dose of 1ml/kg of secnidazole produced a significantly higher parasitological cure rate than 2 doses of tinidazole. Secnidazole is a safe and effective drug for the treatment of uncomplicated intestinal amebiasis. In a small pilot study the parasite cure rate (PCR) of non-invasive amoebiasis was compared after treatment with metronidazole 800 mg three times daily or tinidazole 600 mg twice daily for five days. Both treatment regimens were found to be highly unfavourable with PCRs of 44 and nil respectively, in contrast to previous published results showing PCR over 80%. A prospective, longitudinal, comparative, open and aleatory study in Jaen (Cajamarca--Peru), was performed during November 1997 and January of 1998. The objective was to demonstrate the efficacy and tolerance of Albendazol compared with Metronidazol, Furazolidona, Tinidazol and Secnidazol in the treatment of giardiasis in children. 79 children with giardiasis, confirmed by parasitologic studies were evaluated and distributed randorrily for aleatory code in A,B,C,D and E groups. The A group received Albendazol (5 days), the B group Metronidazol (10 days), the C group Furazolidona (10 days), the D group Tinidazol (1 d a) and the E group Secnidazol (1 d a); Clinical controls and coproparasitologic studies were performad during and after the treatment. The cl nical efficacy in the groups was of 100% and the efficacy coproparas tological of 94.1% with Albendazol, 93.3% with Secnidazol and 100% with Metronidazol. Furazolidona and Tinidazol. The global efficacy was excel lent with Al bendazol in 64,7% and in less than 40% with the other drugs, being the biggest pharmacological tolerance with Albendazol (82,3%) and Secnidazol (80%). We conclude that Albendazol is as effective as Metronidazol, Furazolidona, Tinidazol and Secnidazol but faster in eradicating the Giardia lambila in children and with better tolerance that Metronidazol, Furazolidona and Tinidazol. We consider necessary to control Epidemiological factor associated, to eradicate the parasite permanently. In a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, efficacy and safety of a single-day split dose of 1.6 g of metronidazole were compared with a single 2-g dose of tinidazole in the treatment of vaginal trichomoniasis. Women with symptomatic vaginal trichomoniasis were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. There were 67 women in the group treated with the single-day split dose and 65 in group treated with the single dose. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of clinical characteristics (age, weight, and length of follow-up period). The cure rates, using trypticase yeast extract iron serum (TYI) medium to confirm microbiologic cure, were 98.5% and 100% for the groups treated with a single-day split dose and with a single dose, respectively. The side effects were minimal and did not warrant any treatment. The differences in the results were not statistically significant. We recommend that the single-day split dose of 1.6 g of metronidazole regimen be given as an alternative drug for vaginal trichomoniasis. Its advantages include being highly effective, significantly less expensive, and with minimal side effects. A comparative study of the treatment of nonspecific vaginitis was carried out in 171 reproductive-aged women. The patients were randomly treated with either metronidazole or tinidazole (Ninety-three patients in Group I, received oral metronidazole 1 g daily for 7 days. Another 78 patients in Group II, received oral tinidazole 2 g single dose. The patients were advised to return for follow-up examinations 1-2 weeks after treatment in their nonmenstrual period. Of these, 50 patients in each group were subject to complete study. The cure rates were 92 per cent in Group I and 86 per cent in Group II. The difference was not significant statistically. The adverse drug reactions among the two groups were 22 and 8 per cent respectively. Tinidazole is another effective drug for the treatment of nonspecific vaginitis. nan An open, randomized study was carried out with 100 children to compare the efficacy and security of albendazole and metronidazole to eradicate Giardia lamblia. We included 100 patients in primary school age with giardiasis confirmed by parasitoscopic test who had not received treatment during the 2 previous months. A complete clinical study was performed. By using an aleatory code, the children were distributed in 2 groups: A and B. The clinical data was corroborated and the following tests were made: cell blood count, blood chemistry, direct and concentrated coproparasitoscopic study. Both groups were given an antiparasite treatment consisting of albendazole for group A or metronidazole for group B. Clinical, parasitological and blood controls were conducted before, during and after the treatment. A therapeutic efficacy of 94% and 98% for group A and B, respectively, was found. We concluded that albendazole and metronidazole are equally effective in a 5 days treatment period, but some undesirable effects may occur with metronidazole. Sixty patients with symptomatic intestinal amoebiasis were treated for 3 days with a single dose of 2 g of either tinidazole or metronidazole respectively by random order. Tinidazole cured 90% of patients (27/30) an metronidazole cured 53.3% of patients (16/30). The difference was significant (p less than 0-01). Mild side-effect were reported by 26-7% of patients (8/30) in the tinidazole group as compared to mild to moderated side-effects reported by 53.3% of patients (16/30) in the metronidazole group. The difference was statistically significant (p less than 0-05). As the average patient has only a limited understanding and toleration of extended treatment courses, the advantages of a short course employing a single daily dose are obvious. With such a regimen, tinidazole was found to be superior to metronidazole in intestinal amoebiasis. Tinidazole or metronidazole was administered at random to 56 patients with symptomatic intestinal amoebiasis. The dose of each drug given was 2 g once daily for 3 consecutive days. Tinidazole cured 92.6% patients (25/27) and metronidazole 58.6% patients (17/29). The difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.01). Tinidazole was better tolerated compared with metronidazole. The aim of this prospective study was to compare the safety and efficacy of a new cephamycin, cefminox 2 g/12 h, to those of the usual regimen combining metronidazole 500 mg/8 h and gentamicin 80 mg/8 h (M+G).
                160 patients with clinically proven intra-abdominal infection were prospectively included in an open parallel randomized comparative multicenter trial. Antibiotics were started preoperatively and discontinued after clinical and laboratory evidence of resolution of the infection. Serum and peritoneal fluid levels and serum bactericidal activities were also studied.
                150 patients were clinically evaluable. There was one failure in the cefminox group and three in the M+G group (not significant, RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1-1.15). No differences were found in the number of wound infections, length of stay or duration of antibiotic therapy. Adverse effects were reported in 11 cases, all of them mild to moderate. Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis were the most frequently found microorganisms.
                Cefminox is as effective and as safe as M+G in the treatment of intra-abdominal infections. The role of antibiotic prophylaxis in operations upon the colon and rectum is now well recognized. In this study, the efficacy of cefotetan, a broad spectrum cephamycin antibiotic, given alone (n = 315), is compared with that of the combination of cefotetan and metronidazole (n = 300). The groups were well matched for age, sex, pathologic features and operations performed. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of operation-related infection between the two groups. We conclude that cefotetan given alone is as effective as the combination of cefotetan and metronidazole for prophylaxis against operation-related infection in elective colorectal operations. The effectiveness of metronidazole (Flagyl) and nimorazole (Naxogin) has been compared by using these drugs in the recommended dosage in alternate patients in a series of 218 consecutive cases of vaginal trichomoniasis. Follow-up tests in 100 patients treated with metronidazole and 97 treated with nimorazole indicated cure-rates of 95 and 82 per cent. respectively. Male consorts were examined and given treatment on epidemiological grounds in about 70 per cent. of both treatment groups. Both drugs were free from significant side-effects. The causes of treatment failure in trichomoniasis are discussed and the desirability of relating dosage to the patient's body-weight is suggested. This factor may be especially important in deciding the dosage given on epidemiological grounds to the male consorts. It may also be an important advantage in the current trend of treating trichomoniasis in both sexes with larger doses over a much shorter time. In a prospective randomized trial clinical results of one-shot-prophylaxis with Tinidazole (Group I, n = 50) versus 9 doses of Metronidazole (Group II, n = 50) as perioperative short-time-prophylaxis were compared. The rate of postoperative wound infections was not significantly different in the groups (p = 0,09). (1/50 in Group I = 2%, 5/50 in Group II = 10%). Postoperative complications clearly occurred less frequently in the first group than in the second one (12% versus 34%, p0,01). Our investigation indicates that prophylactic treatment with Tinidazole as a preoperative high and single dose is important for preventing postoperative infection in patients undergoing bowel surgery. In order to compare the efficacy and safety of pefloxacin plus metronidazole with those of gentamicin plus metronidazole, 271 patients with severe intraabdominal infection were enrolled in an open, randomized comparative trial. Seventy males and 66 females (mean age 54 years; range 18-90) were enrolled in the pefloxacin/metronidazole group and 74 males and 61 females (mean age 52 years; range 18-90) in the gentamicin/metronidazole group. After verification of the intra-abdominal infection by laparotomy, drainage or puncture and microbiological cultures, patients received iv either pefloxacin 400 mg, bd, after an 800-mg loading dose, or gentamicin 1.4 mg/kg body weight every 8-24 h depending on the renal function. Metronidazole was given to both groups as a 500 mg intravenous infusion tid. Eighty-seven patients were excluded from the efficacy analysis, principally because of unproven infection, previous antimicrobial therapy or treatment duration less than three days. Ninety-four of 104 patients receiving pefloxacin/metronidazole (90.4%) were cured or improved and there were two failures and eight relapses. In the gentamicin/metronidazole group, 64 of 80 patients (80.0%) were cured or improved while there were three failures, nine relapses, and two deaths. The bacteria originally isolated were eradicated in similar proportions of the patients in the two groups. Eleven of 136 patients receiving pefloxacin/metronidazole (8.1%) and seven of 135 patients given gentamicin/metronidazole (5.2%) had adverse reactions. This study shows that pefloxacin can be considered as effective and safe as gentamicin for the treatment of severe intraabdominal infections. In a prospective, randomized trial, prophylactic use of topical antibiotics in addition to systemic prophylaxis was studied in patients undergoing abdominoperineal amputation of the rectum. All patients received gentamicin 80 mg and metronidazole 500 mg intravenously at induction of anesthesia, followed by the same dose 8 hourly for 48 hours. In accordance with the randomization, half of the patients were additionally given gentamicin 160 mg + metronidazole 400 mg topically into the perineal wound at closure. Perineal wound infection appeared in 19 of the 41 patients who received both systemic and topical prophylaxis, and in 18 of the 38 with only systemic antibiotics. Cell-mediated immunity was preoperatively assessed with a skin test (Multitest) in all but three patients. Impairment of cell-mediated immunity was associated with significantly heightened rate of wound infection, and these patients did not benefit from topical antibiotics. Successful treatment of infections with Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is difficult because of many confounding factors such as poor abstinence from sex during chemotherapy, lack of standardised chemotherapy, difficulties in understanding transmission patterns and low detection rates among infected individuals. The purpose of this study was to establish the present efficacy of the available drugs at their recommended single or double dosages for Kenya. Adult symptomatic females (age 17-39 years) with positive High Vaginal Swabs but without pregnancy were recruited into the study; and asked to swallow one of the following medicine: nimorazole 2G (Naxogin Farmitalia Carlo Erba, Italy), nimorazole 4G in two equally divided doses 24 hours apart (2GBD), nimorazole 3G, tinidazole 2G (Fasigyn, Pfizer Ltd) and ornidazole 1.5G (Tiberal, Roche, Switzerland). All patients were reviewed 48 hours after the drugs administration and 24 hours after the last dose for the group which received nimorazole 2GBD. 153 patients were recruited into the study. 121 came for follow up out of which 49 were dropped from the study for involvement in sexual intercourse leaving only 72 for the final analysis. Clinical cure was 100% for the group receiving nimorazole 2GBD and nimorazole 3G. Parasitological cure was highest for the group on nimorazole 2GBD (100%) and lowest for the group on tinidazole (50%). Instruction to avoid sex during treatment were withheld from patients. This made it easier during the follow up to pick out and drop from the study those who had had sexual contact. Since metronidazole is a mutagen in vitro, there is concern about the widespread systemic use of this drug in women with trichomoniasis, particularly those who are pregnant. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared a single 2-g intravaginal dose of metronidazole cream with a single 2-g oral dose of metronidazole in patients with a culture positive for Trichomonas organisms. Of the 302 preenrollment cultures completed, 94 (31%) were positive. Sixty-one patients were enrolled in the study. Each received either oral placebo and intravaginal metronidazole or intravaginal placebo and oral metronidazole. Follow-up cultures were done on posttreatment day 3-5. Of the 53 evaluatable patients, 14 (50%) of 28 in the intravaginal group and 22 (88%) of 25 in the oral group were microbiologically cured (P = .0037). Single-dose intravaginal metronidazole is inferior to single-dose oral metronidazole and cannot be relied on as an alternative therapy. In an open prospective study of postoperative infectious complications, patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery were randomly allocated to one of three groups receiving parenteral single-dose antimicrobial prophylaxis (1 g or 3 g metronidazole or 1 g metronidazole + 3 g nalidixic acid). Because of an unacceptably high rate of surgical infection in all three groups (36%, 29% and 39%, p greater than 0.1) among the first 103 evaluable patients, the study was discontinued. Nalidixic acid--though effective in in vitro tests of bacterial susceptibility--thus was found to be of little or no value as prophylaxis against Gram-negative infection. As the observed infection rate when metronidazole was given at the start of operation was seven-fold that previously found in the same department when 1 g metronidazole was administered 3-4 hours preoperatively (28/103 vs. 2/50, p less than 0.01), the timing of metronidazole prophylaxis was assumed to be potentially important for its ability to protect also against aerobic postoperative infection. To compare three doses of cefotaxime alone with a single dose of cefotaxime and metronidazole for the prophylaxis of infection after elective colorectal operations.
                Prospective random control trial.
                Hillerød and Frederiksberg Hospitals, Copenhagen, Denmark.
                660 consecutive patients who were to undergo elective colorectal operations during a 48 month period (January 1987-January 1991); 93 (14%) were withdrawn after randomisation leaving 567 for assessment.
                Mechanical bowel preparation, and then either cefotaxime (Claforan) 2 g intravenously at induction of anaestesia and 3 and 9 hours later (n = 280) or a single dose of cefotaxime 2 g plus metronidazole (Flagyl) 1.5 g intravenously at induction of anaestesia (n = 287).
                44 patients in the cefotaxime group developed wound infection (16%) compared with 19 (7%) in the combined group (p < 0.001). In the cefotaxime group 22 of the 241 patients who had an anastomosis developed leaks (9%) compared with 8 of the 239 in the cefotaxime/metronidazole group (3%). There were no differences in the incidence of intra-abdominal abscesses or burst abdomens. The most common organisms isolated from wounds were Escherichia coli and Bacteriodes fragilis.
                One dose of cefotaxime and metronidazole is active against a wide range of organisms and resulted in significantly fewer wound infections than three doses of cefotaxime alone. A prospective, randomized, clinical study was carried out in 188 patients undergoing appendicectomy or colorectal surgery to test the efficacy of prophylactic, parenterally-administered antibiotics in the prevention of infection. The results show the effectiveness of the association gentamicin-metronidazole (9.4% of infections), compared to the control group with no antibiotics (39.1% of infections), X2 = 14.1; P less than 0.001). A prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial was undertaken to compare two different prophylactic antibiotic regimens in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Systemic Timentin, a combination of ticarcillin and the beta-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid, was assigned to 101 patients. Oral tinidazole, an agent active only against anaerobic bacteria, was assigned to 102 patients. The wound infection rate was 2.4 percent in the patients receiving Timentin and 14 percent in those receiving tinidazole (P = 0.01). Multivariate analysis of factors affecting the wound infection rate showed that the only factor that independently reached statistical significance was the prophylactic antibiotic used. The mortality of patients receiving Timentin prophylaxis was 3.4 percent compared with 8.9 percent of those receiving tinidazole (P = 0.15). The clinical anastomotic leakage rate was 1.3 percent in patients receiving Timentin and 13 percent in those receiving tinidazole (P = 0.01). These results, together with those of two previously published clinical trials by this group, indicate that antibiotic prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery should consist of a short course of an agent effective against both aerobic and anaerobic bowel flora. This study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of nonoxynol 9 suppositories in the treatment of vaginal trichomoniasis.
                In this prospective comparison trial 46 women with documented motile trichomonads found on a wet preparation were randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms: (1) a single oral dose of 2 g metronidazole and (2) a single 150-mg nonoxynol 9 suppository placed intravaginally for 3 consecutive nights. Cure was determined by a repeated wet preparation examination. After its first year, the study was terminated because of the poor efficacy of the nonoxynol 9 suppositories.
                Results were available for 33 patients. Three of 17 patients treated with nonoxynol 9 had negative wet preparation results at retest (17.6% cure rate). All 16 patients treated with metronidazole had negative wet preparation results (100% cure rate). All women with nonoxynol 9 failures who were evaluated after treatment with 2 g metronidazole had negative wet preparation results.
                Intravaginal nonoxynol 9 at the tested dose and by the tested method of delivery was not an effective cure for vaginal trichomoniasis. Benznidazole, a nitroimidazole derivative, has been recommended for the treatment of acute and congenital Trypanosoma cruzi infection (Chagas' disease). We have examined the safety and efficacy of this drug in the treatment of the early chronic phase of T cruzi infection.
                Between 1991 and 1995, we carried out a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in a rural area of Brazil with endemic Chagas' disease. 82% of 2434 schoolchildren (aged 7-12 years) identified in a census were screened for antibodies to T cruzi by indirect immunofluorescence, indirect haemagglutination, and ELISA. 130 were positive in all tests and were randomly assigned benznidazole (7.5 mg/kg daily for 60 days by mouth) or placebo. The primary endpoint for efficacy was the disappearance of specific antibodies (negative seroconversion) by the end of 3-year follow-up. The secondary endpoint was the reduction of antibody titres on repeated serological tests. One child moved away from the area just after randomisation and was excluded from the analyses. Insecticidal measures were taken throughout the trial to reduce the risk of reinfection.
                Minor side-effects requiring no specific medication were recorded in a small proportion of individuals. On a chemiluminescent ELISA with purified trypomastigote glycoconjugate, serum from all participants was positive at the beginning of the trial. At the end of follow-up, 37 (58%) of the 64 benznidazole-treated participants and 3 (5%) of those who received placebo were negative for T cruzi antibodies. The efficacy of benznidazole treatment estimated by intention to treat was 55.8% (95% CI 40.8-67.0). At the end of follow-up, children who received benznidazole had five-fold lower geometric mean titres by indirect immunofluorescence than placebo-treated children (196[147-256] vs 1068[809-1408], p < 0.00001).
                The trial showed that a 60-day course of benznidazole treatment of early chronic T cruzi infection was safe and 55.8% effective in producing negative seroconversion of specific antibodies. The results are very encouraging and justify the recommendation of treatment for seropositive children as public health policy. 417 patients suffering from intestinal amoebiasis were randomly allocated to 6 different treatment groups in a controlled study in 3 District Hospitals in Kenya. The patients received either aminosidine (A), etophamide (E), nimorazole (N), or the combinations NA, NE, EA. Treatment in all cases was given twice daily for 5 days. Before and after treatment, rectosigmoidoscopy was done in each patient, and stool examination with characterization of invasive (IF) and non invasive (NIF) forms of amoeba was done daily throughout treatment, and on Days 15, 30 and 60 of follow-up. Clinical cure was good after all the treatments, varying from 90 to 100%; parasitological cure at the end of treatment was 100% in the NA and EA treatments groups, and 98% in A group. The incidence of relapses was nil in the EA group, followed by 3% in NA and 6% in A groups. Anatomical cure (healing of ulcers) was 97.8% in the NA group, 95.5% in the N group and 88.5% in the A group. Drug tolerance was excellent or good after all the treatments, except that the EA combination produced diarrhoea in 76.5% of patients. Overall analysis of the findings, including tolerance of the various treatments, showed that aminosidine either alone or in combination with nimorazole gave the best results. Ulcers seen on rectosigmoidoscopy were more common in patients excreting invasive forms of amoebae in their stools. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of nitazoxanide compared with that of quinfamide, mebendazole, or both in the treatment of intestinal protozoa and helminthic infections. A total of 677 stool specimens from children aged 2-12 years living in 3 communities of Colima, México, were analyzed in order to detect the presence of cysts, trophozoites, eggs, or larvae of intestinal protozoa or helminths. A total of 275 infected children were enlisted in a double-blind controlled study and randomly assigned to one of 2 treatment groups: Group A, nitazoxanide (200 mg for 3 days) and Group B, quinfamide (100 mg for 1 day), mebendazole (200 mg for 3 days), or both. A posttreatment fecal examination was conducted on Day 14 from treatment initiation. In Group A (n = 143), the parasitosis eradication rate was superior to that of Group B (n = 132). However, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups (P > 0.05).
Tinidazole is more effective in reducing clinical failure compared with metronidazole and has fewer associated adverse events. Combination drug therapy is more effective in reducing parasitological failure compared with metronidazole alone. However, these results are based on trials with poor methodological quality so there is uncertainty in these conclusions. Further trials of the efficacy of antiamoebic drugs, with better methodological quality, are recommended. More accurate tests to detect E. histolytica are needed, particularly in countries where concomitant infection with other bacteria and parasites is common.