Vermox
The lethal effect of mebendazole on secondary Echinococcus granulosus, cysticerci of Taenia pisiformis and tetrathyridia of Mesocestoides corti.

Heath DD, Christie MJ, Chevis RA.

Oral administration of mebendazole at a rate of 1 g/kg feed (approximately 50 mg/kg body weight/day) for 14 days killed mature and immature cysticerci of Taenia pisiformis in rabbits, and multiplying tetrathyridia of Mesocestoides corti in mice. Progressive degrees of parasite damage caused by mebendazole treatment could be assessed by histological examination of calcereous corpuscles. A single subcutaneous injection of 10 percent mebendazole in carrier, at a rate of 100 mg/kg body weight, resulted in the death of all M. corti tetrathyridia in mice within 4 weeks, but the drug in saline was slowly mobilized and was relatively ineffective. Neither subcutaneous injections of mebendazole in saline or in carrier could kill cysticerci of T. pisiformis within 5 weeks, but the drug in carrier was effective after several months. Mebendazole in saline was effective when injected intraperitoneally, but adhesions often resulted from this route of administration. Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces administered to mice by intraperitoneal injection were rapidly encapsulated by host lymphoid cells. The vesiculating protoscoleces were all contained within a fibrous capsule for more than 2 months after infection, but by 4 months almost all had grown free of the host reaction. Treatment of the encapsulated protoscoleces with mebendazole in feed for 14-21 days caused collapse of the outer cysts and death of the germinal membrane of all but the innermost protoscoleces. Six weeks later, however, cysts had regrown from surviving germinal tissue and a further treatment with mebendazole in feed for 14-21 days again did not destroy all germinal cells. Treatment of the 4-month-old scoleces with mebendazole in feed for 14 days caused all cysts to collapse and destroyed practically all E. granulosus germinal tissue. Three subcutaneous injections of mebendazole at fortnightly intervals, of drug in saline at 500 mg/kg body weight, or in carrier at 100 mg/dg body weight, were required in order apparently to kill all secondary cysts of E. granulosus. Host lymphoid cells were not able to traverse the laminated membrane of either untreated or collapsed cysts, and it has been shown that only a small amount of living germinative tissue is required to produce a new E. granulosus cyst. These factors could contribute to the relative ability of E. granulosus cysts to recover from mebendazole treatment, compared with cysticerci or tetrathyridia. The effectiveness of mebendazole thus seemed to depend on the formulation of the drug and its route of administration. Mebendazole is probably the first anthelmintic to have a lethal effect on larval cestodes. When applied orally there do not appear to be any adverse effects due to treatment.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1128928&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
Mebendazole (R 17635) in enterobiasis. A clinical trial in mental retardates.

Lormans JA, Wesel AJ, Vanparus OF.

The efficacy of mebendazole against enterobiasis was tested on 150 institutionalized mental retardates (range 5-25 years). At the start of the trial all patients swallowed on tablet containing 100 mg mebendazole. Another tablet was administered to all patients 2 weeks and 1, 2 and 3 months later. 19 patients were further treated with one tablet 4 and 5 months after the start of the trial. The presence of E. vermicularis was checked with cellophane adhesive tapes from the anal skin and from the right-hand finger-tips before the trial and after 1, 3 and 6 months. 94 subjects were positive before the trial. At the first post-treatment examination, all patients were found negative. However, 12% were reinfected. No side effects were observed or reported.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1157575&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
Morphological changes in cysticerci of Taenia taeniaeformis after mebendazole treatment.

Borgers M, De Nollin S, Verheyen A, Vanparijs O, Thienpont D.

The progressive micromorphological changes in Taenia taeniaeformis cysticerci, induced by a single parenteral treatment of the infected mice with mebendazole, are described. The time-related alterations concerned the tegument and tegumental cells and were successively: disappearance of microtubules, accumulation of secretory substances in the Golgi areas, decrease in number to complete loss of microtriches, "ballooning" of all tegumental cells with subsequent burst, vacuolization and degeneration of the tegument, and finally necrosis of the pseudoproglottids. Similar but less pronounced injuries were seen in the scolices, although microtubules disappeared as early as in the pseudoproglottids. Microtubules from the host tissues remained intact. The meaning of the apparent primary interference of mebendazole with the microtubular system in relation to the subsequently observed death of the cysticercoids is discussed.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1185423&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
[The treatment of intestinal helminthiasis with mebendazole. 294 treated patients]

[Article in French]

Degremont A, Baumgartner MW.

294 patients with slight intestinal helminthic infections have been treated with mebendazole, a broad-spectrum antihelminthic of high effectiveness and remarkably low toxicity. The high cure rates (91-95%) obtained in cases of trichuriasis, ascariasis and ankylostomiasis are in agreement with the results as published by other investigators. For helminthiases, the present patient sample was too limited to permit accurate evaluation. Nevertheless, mebendazole may be considered the drug of choice for treatment of trichuriasis in particular and for intestinal helminthic polyparasitism in general.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1215988&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
Effect of parenterally injected benzimidazole compounds on Echinococcus multilocularis and Taenia crassiceps metacestodes in laboratory animals.

Campbell WC, McCracken RO, Blair LS.

In mice infected with metacestodes of Taenia crassiceps, the following compounds were at least partially effective when injected intraperitoneally at the dosage indicated: cambendazole (500 mg/kg), mebendazole (6.25 mg/kg), oxibendazole (500 mg/kg), 5-benzamido-2(4-thiazolyl)benzimidazole (500 mg/kg), 2-carboethoxyamino benzimidazole (125 mg/kg), and 2-carbomethoxyamino benzimidazole (500 mg/kg). The following were inactive at the dosage indicated: parbendazole (500 mg/kg), thiabendazole (1,000 mg/kg), and fenbendazole (1,000 mg/kg). Mebendazole, which showed some activity at 6.25 mg/kg, was highly active as a single intraperitoneal dose at 25 mg/kg. When injected subcutaneously, mebendazole was much less active than when given intraperitoneally. In mice infected with metacestodes of Echinococcus multilocularis, intraperitoneal injection of mebendazole at 75 to 150 mg/kg, daily for 3 days, was highly effective (95 to 100% reduction in cyst mass). In contrast, oral administration at 1,000 mg/kg, daily for 3 days, was only partially effective. The drug was also effective when given intraperitoneally to infected cotton rats. A water-soluble benzimidazole, carboxymethyleneamino cambendazole, was approximately 50% effective in mice when injected daily for 3 days at a dosage of 75 or 150 mg/kg. The results suggest that, in metacestode infections of medical importance, it may be possible to kill the parasite by delivering a drug to its immediate vicinity, and so to reduce the required dosage with respect to the host.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1242396&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox



Vermox
[Clinical form of syngamiasis of pheasants and its treatment with mebendazole]

[Article in Slovak]

Mitterpak J, Vasil' M.

For the subdueing of the clinical form of the synagamosis of pheasants we successfully applied Mebendazole in the dose of 120 mg kg-1 of the feed. Because of the lack of drug we administered the dose of 120 mg kg-1 of the feed in one group in the course of seven days to a number of animals, the others (approx. 4000 animals) received the drug only in the course of three days. On the third to fourth day after the application of the preparation the clinical symptoms disappeared and mortality stopped. To the group intended for dissecting for the evaluation of the effectiveness of Mebendazole, the dose of 120 mg kg-1 of the feed was applied in the course of 13 days. From the fifth day after the beginning of the application we found no gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) in the trachea, and the clinical symptoms disappeared completely from the seventh day onwards. In the control group mortality continued and in the trachea we found mature parasites numbering from 1 to 13 pairs. Thus we consider the dose of 120 mg kg-1 of the feed to be suitable, though it is necessary, by means of further investigation, to determine the most favourable time of administration, both for the prophylactic dehelminthization in dependence on the concrete ecological conditions in the system of rearing, and also for the therapy of the clinical form in dependence on the stage of the pathological process and of the epizootological situation.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=132738&dopt=Abstract mebendazole Vermox