pyrantel and Body-Weight

The clearance of hookworm (Necator americanus) ova by a single dose of tetrachlorethylene (T.C.E.) was compared with that produced by single and multiple dose regimes of bephenium hydroxynaphthoate and pyrantel pamoate. Single doses of bephenium and pyrantel were inferior to T.C.E. Three daily doses of bephenium or pyrantel produced effects comparable with a single dose of T.C.E. Because of the low cost and lack of side effects, T.C.E. remains the drug of choice in the treatment of N. americanus in infections; the only disadvantage of T.C.E. is its unnoticed deterioration under tropical conditions.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Bephenium Compounds; Body Weight; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Evaluation; Feces; Hemoglobins; Hookworm Infections; Humans; Necator; Necatoriasis; Pyrantel; Pyrantel Pamoate; Sri Lanka; Tetrachloroethylene

Conventional chemoprophylaxis of canine toxocariasis is based upon the treatment of young puppies. It is proposed that physiological considerations and the complexity of the host-parasite relationship in the case of Toxocara canis demand that anthelmintic evaluation should properly be conducted in such animals rather than in adolescent or adult dogs. A screening model using the critical trial technique in early weaned pups gave variable results even with compounds known to be of high efficacy in older dogs. Circumstantial evidence suggested that this inconsistency may be related to the rate of passage of ingesta through such young animals. More satisfactory results were obtained by pairing unweaned naturally infected puppies by weight and sex and treating one of each pair with the test compound. Natural in utero and transmammary infection was found to give fairly consistent worm-burdens within each litter and a good indication of efficacy could therefore be estimated by comparing post mortem worm-counts. On this basis, the apparent efficacies of pyrantel pamoate (5 mg kg-1) and piperazine (100 mg kg-1) were found to be 83.5 and 82.5%, respectively. This method was extended to evaluate a prophylactic programme in which anthelmintic therapy was given to pups when aged 10, 20 and 30 days. Intestinal T. canis populations were reduced, at 35 days of age, by between 94.2% and 98.0%. This programme increased overall weight gains between 10 and 30 days of age by 18% (P less than 0.05) although there was great variation between litters. The biggest response was observed in male pups between 20 and 30 days old.

Topics: Animals; Animals, Suckling; Anthelmintics; Ascariasis; Body Weight; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Drug Administration Schedule; Feces; Female; Male; Parasite Egg Count; Phenyl Ethers; Piperazine; Piperazines; Pyrantel; Pyrantel Pamoate; Thiocyanates; Toxocariasis

Hamsters infected with laboratory-adapted preadult Necator americanus were dosed with 6 reference anthelmintics. Their efficacy was measured in terms of percentage cure of infected animals as well as percentage worm reduction following treatment. Mebendazole and pyrantel were equally effective in this system. Other anthelmintics, including anti-hookworm compound, bephenium hydroxynaphthoate, were less effective. The comparative results revealed that the N. americanus model is sensitive and reliable for identifying and characterizing new anti-parasite preparations.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Anthelmintics; Bephenium Compounds; Body Weight; Cricetinae; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Levamisole; Mebendazole; Mesocricetus; Necator; Necatoriasis; Pyrantel; Tetramisole; Thiabendazole

Two mass interventions in the local low energy-density diet were evaluated for safety, acceptability and nutritional efficacy in a four-group matched study of 896 Papua New Guinea children aged 12-54 months. A single dose of 125 mg of pyrantel pamoate and an 800 mg supply of red palm oil were given monthly at the regular child health clinics. Both were safe and highly accepted. Children given palm oil gained more weight than controls (P less than .05) in the first three study months, confirming a pilot study. However, weight gain after one year was 94% of standard, with no differences in anthropometry, morbidity or mortality between groups. The lack of demonstrable differences at one year is attributed to secular improvement in control group nutrition and to diffusion of palm oil supplies within the family. While pyrantel was an effective antihelminthic, further study is needed to define the nutritional role of mass worm treatment. Palm oil was economical and culturally popular; thus it should be an ideal import substitution. It is clinically useful where diets are of low energy-density. However, any simultaneous demonstration of its nutritional safety, acceptability as a sustained mass intervention must be carried out in an area where major child growth deficits remain and expropriation of the oil by other household members can be controlled.

Topics: Anthropometry; Body Weight; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child, Preschool; Humans; Infant; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Oils; Palm Oil; Papua New Guinea; Plant Oils; Pyrantel

Topics: Animals; Anthelmintics; Benzimidazoles; Body Weight; Carbamates; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Feces; Female; Parasite Egg Count; Pyrantel; Rabbits; Tetramisole; Time Factors; Trichostrongyloidea; Trichostrongyloidiasis