Giardiasis treatment in Turkish children with a single dose of ornidazole.

Abstract

This study was designed to compare the treatment efficacy of single dose of ornidazole with 5 d treatments of ornidazole and metronidazole in children with giardiasis. 175 children, between 2 and 15 y old, whose stool samples were found to be positive for Giardia lamblia cysts and/or trophozoites by either saline-Lugol, formalin-ethyl acetate or trichrome staining, were enrolled in the study. Of these children, 105 were treated with a single dose of ornidazole: 35 with 30 mg/kg, 35 with 25 mg/kg and 35 with 20 mg/kg; 35 were treated with 25 mg/kg per day of ornidazole for 5 d in 2 doses and 35 children were treated with 20 mg/kg per day metronidazole for 7 d in 3 doses. All cases were examined on the 7th, 10th and 14th days after treatment by the same methods; clinical symptoms were also evaluated. Giardia lamblia was eradicated in 34 of 35 (97%), 34 of 35 (97%) and 33 of 35 (94%) patients treated with 30, 25 and 20 mg/kg single doses of ornidazole, respectively. Eradication was achieved in all 35 patients treated with 25 mg/kg per day ornidazole for 5 d and in 31 of 35 (89%) patients treated with metronidazole. There was no statistically significant difference among doses of ornidazole (p > 0.05); however, all ornidazole treatment regimens were significantly more effective than metronidazole treatment (p < 0.05). No important side-effects were detected in any patients and clinical symptoms disappeared in all. Single-dose ornidazole treatment could be considered as a proper and effective alternative method for the treatment of giardiasis in children.

• Authors: Ahmet Ozbilgin, Pelin Ertan, Kor Yereli, A Taylan Tamay, Ozgür Kurt, Kenan Degerli, I Cüneyt Balcioglu, Ulgen Z Ok, Ali Onag
• Journal: Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases (Scand J Infect Dis) Vol. 34 Issue 12 Pg. 918-20 ( 2002) ISSN: 0036-5548 [Print] England
• PMID: 12587625 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antiprotozoal Agents
• Metronidazole
• Ornidazole

Topics

• Adolescent
• Antiprotozoal Agents (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Child, Preschool
• Giardiasis (drug therapy, epidemiology)
• Humans
• Metronidazole (therapeutic use)
• Ornidazole (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Treatment Outcome
• Turkey (epidemiology)