Praziquantel and Fasciola hepatica Infection. (Reannouncement with New Availability Information).

摘要

We report on 6 patients, 5 adult women and one young boy, in whom praziquantel in a dose of 75 mg/kg body weight given daily in 3 divided doses for 7 consecutive days failed to cure established F. hepatica infection. All 6 patients were referred to the hospital for investigations of low-grade fever accompanied by diarrhea and vague upper abdominal pain. Four had marked eosinophilia but none was seriously anemic. In all cases the counterimmunoelectrophoresis test was positive. Within 2 to 3 weeks of admission to hospital, fever had subsided in all patients and, except for some abdominal discomfort, they were essentially asymptomatic. All were excreting eggs of F. hepatica in the stools. The 6 patients were treated in hospital and all tolerated the high dose of praziquantel well. None complained and all completed treatment. Three weeks after treatment all were still excreting eggs of F. hepatica in the stools and had to be retreated with dehydroemetine.