Vermox
Fasciola hepatica: mebendazole and thiabendazole pharmacokinetics in sheep.

Galtier P, Coulet M, Sutra JF, Biro-Sauveur B, Alvinerie M.

Laboratoire de Pharmacologie-Toxicologie, INRA, Toulouse, France.

Pharmacokinetics of the two anthelmintic drugs mebendazole and thiabendazole were determined in sheep before and 4, 8, 13, 19, and 25 weeks after an infestation of animals by an oral administration of 150 metacercariae of Fasciola hepatica. The parasitic pathology was ascertained by the increase in plasma enzyme activities of glutamate dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyltransferase. After oral administration of mebendazole (25 mg.kg-1), the parent drug and especially its reduced metabolite were present in plasma of animals. A significant 1.5- to 2.7-fold increase in the mean residence time occurred by Weeks 13 to 25 postinfection. This change was related to decreases in both the elimination from the pharmacokinetic compartment representing the reduced metabolite and the area under the curve of plasma metabolite concentration versus time. A 59% decrease in MBZ reduction was demonstrated in liver microsomes prepared from 12-week-infected sheep. This reductase activity was characterized by NADPH dependency and a pH peak activity of 6.0 and was competitively inhibited by daunomycin. In sheep receiving a 50 mg.kg-1 oral dose of thiabendazole, fascioliasis provoked only decreased plasma concentrations of the metabolite 5-hydroxythiabendazole by Weeks 4 to 25 postinfection. This change parallels an increase in urinary excretion of free metabolite but this is of minor significance in the general fate of the drug because of the prevalence of excretion as conjugates. In summary, fascioliasis appears to have more of an effect on the pharmacokinetics of mebendazole, a drug intensively metabolized by the liver into a metabolite present at high concentrations in the plasma of animals and humans.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7914496&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
Efficacy of a single dose of mebendazole on prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted nematodes in Zanzibar.

Albonico M, Renganathan E, Bosman A, Kisumku UM, Alawi KS, Savioli L.

Programme of Intestinal Parasitic Infections, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

The efficacy of a single-dose of mebendazole to treat intestinal helminths was studied in Pemba Island, Zanzibar, with the view of incorporating it in future control programmes. A single Kato-Katz stool examination was performed on 2,269 individuals from all age groups. 1,883 individuals were treated with 500 mg of mebendazole (250 mg for children below two years) and re-examined one month and four months after therapy. A total of 466 presented themselves for all three surveys and the data has been reported in this study. The overall cure rate for ascariasis was 93.2% and reduction of egg load after treatment was 89.8% in persistent positive cases. Although the cure rates were lower in trichuriasis (25.6%) and hookworm (17.8%) infections, egg reduction was more evident with 47% for Trichuris trichiura and 51.9% for hookworms. A single dose of mebendazole results not only in a high cure rate for ascariasis but also in a decrease in intensity of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infections, thereby contributing to its incorporation into low-budget control programmes in developing countries.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7941002&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
[The efficacy of the mebendazole treatment of patients with hydatid disease]

[Article in Russian]

Shcherbakov AM, Panteleeva EIa, Firsova RA.

Chemotherapy was administered to 53 patients with hydatid disease; to 27 of them it was administered to prevent recurrences. Mebendazole was prescribed by courses lasting for 14 to 30 days with intervals between the courses of 1 to 3 months, in a daily dose of 50 mg/kg to be taken 4 times. The treatment efficacy was assessed in accordance with the criteria suggested by the WHO experts. On the whole our results did not evidence any essential differences in mebendazole therapy efficacy in our patients and in those represented in a WHO report. No recurrences occurred over the period of observation, that lasted for 6 months to 6 years, in the 27 patients who were administered the drug to prevent the disease recurrences. The treatment was fairly effective in 27% of the patients, good effect was attained in 42%, no desirable results were attained in 19%, and lethal outcomes were recorded in 12% of patients.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7968802&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
Effects of mebendazole, albendazole, and praziquantel on fumarate hydratase, pyruvate kinase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase of Echinococcus granulosus cyst wall harbored in mice.

Xiao SH, Feng JJ, Guo HF, Jiao PY, Yao MY, Jiao W.

Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Shanghai.

Echinococcus granulosus cyst wall exhibited activities of fumarate hydratase (FH), pyruvate kinase (PK), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) with 911-1433, 151-215, and 54-98U, respectively. The ratio of PK/PEPCK was 2.2-2.7, indicating that glycolysis is the main pathway of carbohydrate metabolism in the cyst wall. When infected mice were treated ig with mebendazole, albendazole or praziquantel at the respective daily dose of 25-50, 300, and 500 mg.kg-1 for 7-14 d, no apparent change of FH activity in the cyst wall was found, while PK and PEPCK activities in the cyst wall were markedly inhibited by mebendazole and albendazole. The inhibition rates of PK and PEPCK activities in mebendazole group were 85-88% and 90-92%, respectively, while in albendazole group were 55.3 and 71.6%, respectively. The results suggest that PK or PEPCK in the cyst wall may the important site attacked by effective anti-hydatid drugs.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8010090&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
[Experimental chemotherapy of echinococcosis. 13. The effect of mebendazole in combination with a vegetable oil on the larval cysts of Echinococcus multilocularis and the reaction of the infested host to long-term administration of the preparation]

[Article in Russian]

Dzhabarova VI, Veretennikova NL, Kovrova EA.

The use of mebendazole as a suspension in vegetable oil enhanced the efficiency of treating experimental Echinococcus granulosus infection in outbred albino rats without increasing the dose of the drug. A sharp reduction in platelet count in the blood of the infected animals treated and untreated suggests that thrombohemorrhagic complications might be in echinococcosis. Thrombopenia in the treated animals appeared to be steady-state. A decrease in a rapid immune response in the mebendazole-treated rats, as compared to the untreated ones, is likely to be a consequence of a significant fall of antigenic immune stimulation due to suppression of the parasite's viability with the drug and to be an indicator of therapeutical efficiency.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8015518&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
[The mebendazole treatment of patients with alveolar echinococcosis]

[Article in Russian]

Shcherbakov AM, Panteleeva EIa, Firsova RA.

Chemotherapy was administered to 17 alveolar echinococcosis patients. Two of these patients developed an uncomplicated disease (a subtotal involvement of both liver lobes), fifteen a complicated condition. In 13 patients with the complicated condition metastases to the lungs, peritoneum, as well as diaphragmatic and abdominal organs' growth were detected, in 4 ones jaundice developed. Mebendazole was administered in a daily dose of 50 mg/kg together with the drugs improving its absorption. 30-day courses with 1-3 month intervals were administered. The efficacy of this therapy and its tolerance were assessed from clinical, laboratory and instrumental findings, including serologic tests. Intolerance presenting as alopecia was observed in 4 women, in one of them twice. Mebendazole efficacy in these patients was compared to that in patients administered the drug in a daily dose of 100 mg in 1978-1980. A positive time course was observed in 53% of patients.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8028556&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox