Diethylcarbamazine-related antimicrobial activity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected blood

Previous studies have suggested that diethylcarbamazine (DEC), a drug used for filariasis control, may be useful in the treatment of mycobacterial infections. In this experiment, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was added to blood samples from two groups (healthy and diabetic) of adult non-smoking donors. Portions of each sample were tested with and without DEC at clinically achievable levels. Statistically significant DEC-related percentage decreases in BACTEC growth index counts were noted for each group (Wilcoxon one-sample signed-rank tests, alpha = 0.05, two-tailed). These results suggest that administration of DEC for filariasis control could have a positive impact on tuberculosis control.