Efficacy of High-Dose Albendazole with Ivermectin for Treating Imported Loiasis, Italy

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 25; no. 8; pp. 1574 - 1576
• Main Authors: Gobbi, Federico, Buonfrate, Dora, Tamarozzi, Francesca, Degani, Monica, Angheben, Andrea, Bisoffi, Zeno
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.08.2019; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Albendazole; Albendazole - administration & dosage; Antiprotozoal Agents - administration & dosage; Biomarkers; Communicable Diseases, Imported - drug therapy; Communicable Diseases, Imported - parasitology; DEC; diethylcarbamazine; Disease transmission; Dispatch; Drug Therapy, Combination; efficacy; Efficacy of High-Dose Albendazole plus Ivermectin for Treating Imported Loiasis, Italy; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Italy; Ivermectin; Ivermectin - administration & dosage; Loiasis - drug therapy; Loiasis - parasitology; Male; Medical research; Middle Aged; Mortality; Paromomycin; Praziquantel; Roundworms; Skin; Symptom Assessment; Tinidazole; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; Italy; loiasis; DEC; vector-borne infections; albendazole; Loa loa; Italy; parasites; ivermectin; meningitis/encephalitis; efficacy; diethylcarbamazine
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2508.190011

We describe the outcomes of 16 cases of imported loiasis in Italy. Patients had microfilaremia <20,000/mL and were treated with high-dose albendazole for 28 days and a single dose of ivermectin. This combination might be an effective treatment option in nonendemic areas, when diethylcarbamazine, the drug of choice, is not available.