Treatment of scabies with disulfiram and benzyl benzoate emulsion: a controlled study

In a double-blind study, 38 adults with scabies were treated with the scabicide Tenutex (a proprietary aqueous emulsion containing 0.5% DDT, 2% disulfiram and 22.5% benzyl benzoate) and 42 patients were treated with a similar emulsion lacking DDT. The treatment consisted of a single whole-body (except for the head) application which was washed off after 24 hours. When examined 3 weeks later, both groups were completely cured. Thereafter, a further 35 patients took part in an open trial with the DDT-free Tenutex emulsion and all patients were cured, irrespective of whether the treatments were administered by skilled personnel or by themselves at home. It is concluded that for the treatment of scabies in Sweden, the most commonly used preparation, Tenutex, can be replaced, without risk of loss of efficacy, by an emulsion containing 2% disulfiram and 22.5% benzyl benzoate, i.e. Tenutex without DDT.