Efficacy of 5-nitroimidazole compounds for giardiasis in Cuban children: systematic review and meta-analysis

Five-nitroimidazole (5-NI) compounds are among the most commonly used medications in the treatment of giardiasis. However, after more than five decades of their initial indication for such treatment, there are some concerns about the efficacy of 5-NIs in giardiasis. This study sought to compare the efficacy of any 5-NI with any other antigiardial drug for the treatment of Cuban children with giardiasis. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We searched CUMED, EBSCOhost and PubMed databases. Two reviewers independently assessed trial eligibility, trial quality and extracted appropriate data. The primary outcome was the parasitological cure. The effect estimate was the pooled relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We included seven RCTs in the systematic review, involving a total of 1046 children. When the effect of 5-NIs was compared with that of benzimidazole compounds, the pooled effect was significant and favored 5-NIs [the relative risk (RR) is 1.35, 95% CI =1.05 to 1.75], with high heterogeneity (4 studies, I2 =79%). Compared with chloroquine, the pooled effects of the 5-NIs were not significant [RR is 0.96, 95% CI=0.79 to 1.18, (2 studies, I2=68%)]. Our results support the use of 5-NIs (mainly tinidazole) as first-line therapy for Cuban pediatric patients infected with Giardia and may continue being used as reference drugs in future RCTs of giardiasis. These data could help inform policy decisions in Cuba. Caution is needed in extrapolating such data in other settings.