Evaluation of mebendazole for the treatment of trichuriasis

Trichuris trichiura was found to cause severe refractory clinical illness in 25 child patients admitted to a rural hospital in northeast Queensland over a six-month period. Mebendazole produced significant alleviation of symptoms. Symptomless carrier states in 70 patients admitted to hospital for other complaints were also studied. Thirty-five of these were treated with mebendazole with a notable reduction in worm loads (as measured by Stoll egg counts) when compared with the control group. The effects of three-day and four-day courses of mebendazole on symptomless carriers are compared.