Clinical trial of albendazole in hookworm infection

A clinical trial of albendazole (Zentel R) was carried out at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in 1981. Thirty-five patients with hookworm infection were divided into 2 groups A, B and treated with a single dose of albendazole 400 mg and 600 mg respectively. The age of the patients ranged from 12 to 66 years and their weights ranged from 25 to 62 kilograms. Concentration and Stoll egg count methods were done at pretreatment, day 14 and day 21. At each interval two aliquots from each of the two faecal specimens were collected. The geometrical mean of EPG in Group A and B were 5406 and 5617 respectively. The cure rate in patients with less than 5000 EPG was 75% on day 21 in Group A and 67% in Group B. The mean percentage egg reduction was 95% in Group A and 99% in Group B. In patients with a higher egg out-put, the cure rate on day 21 was 50% in Group A and 29% in Group B. The mean percentage egg reduction was 91% in Group A and 93% in B. The side effects were mild and transient.