A randomised, double-blind field trial of ivermectin alone and in combination with albendazole for the treatment of Mansonella perstans infections in Uganda

Abstract

Summary The effect of a single dose of ivermectin alone (150–200 μg/kg body weight) or in combination with albendazole (total of 400 mg) in Mansonella perstans infection was assessed in a randomised, double-blind field trial in two endemic communities in Mukono and Luwero districts of Uganda. No side effects were observed or reported during the first 7 days after treatment. The effect on microfilaraemia was analysed among individuals with ≥20 microfilariae (mf) per 100 μl of blood at baseline, who took the treatment and who attended follow-up examinations at 6 months and 12 months after treatment (48 and 46 in Mukono and 48 and 40 in Luwero for the ivermectin and combination treatment, respectively). In both communities, the combination treatment appeared slightly more effective than ivermectin alone, but the difference was not statistically significant. Both drug regimens were more effective in Luwero than in Mukono, probably owing to different diets in the two areas. However, in general both treatment regimens in both communities had limited effect on microfilarial intensities, and only one individual (given combination treatment in Luwero) was mf-negative at 6 months and 12 months after treatment. [ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00215280 ]