Therapeutic trial of four amoebicide regimes in rural Zaire

A prospective comparative trial of four amoebicide regimes was carried out with protozoological control using 300 patients presenting with symptomatic intestinal amoebiasis at a tropical rural hospital during a five month period. 195 (76.2%) of 256 treated supplied three follow-up stools. Of those treated with Metronidazole and Oxytetracycline 10.9 per cent continued to excrete Entamoeba histolytica while with Di-iodohydroxyquinoline and Oxytetracycline the figure was 25.5 per cent falling to 20.0 per cent when Dehydroemetine was added and with Clioquinol and Oxytetracycline 27.5 per cent continued to excrete Entamoeba histolytica. These figures with the absolute numbers of patients involved do not show any one of the regimes used to be significantly more effective than the others in unclassified symptomatic intestinal amoebiasis. We conclude therefore that in the rural situation the cheapest regime should be preferred as the standard one, namely Clioquinol and Oxytetracycline. However, in view of the reported serious side-effects of Clioquinol, Di-iodomydroxyquinoline and Oxytetracycline could be considered as the second cheapest and with slightly better results.