Comparative studies on the evaluation of the effect of new anthelminthics on various intestinal helminthiasis in Iran. Effects of anthelminthics on intestinal helminthiasis.

The effect of pyrantel pamoate, levamisole, mebendazole, thiabendazole and bephenium hydroxynaphthoate on various intestinal helminths were evaluated among the inhabitants of four villages in the Dezful area southwest of Iran. A total number of 328 persons, all infected simultaneously with Ascaris and hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale) and 49.2% with Trichostrongylus spp., were randomly divided into six groups. One group was kept as the control and the other five were each treated with one compound. Follow-up examinations showed that all of the drugs used were highly effective on Ascaris, and the differences in the cure rate were not statistically significant except for bephenium hydroxynaphthoate which showed a lower cure rate. For hookworm, cure rates of 100, 90, and 85% were observed with levamisole, pyrantel pamoate and bephenium hydroxynaphthoate, respectively. Cure rates observed with mebendazole and thiabendazole were 35 and 51%, respectively. For Trichostrongylus, the highest cure rate was achieved with levamisole, followed by thiabendazole and mebendazole. While the percentage of people showing side-effects was rather low for all drugs, thiabendazole and bephenium hydroxynaphthoate produced a higher, and levamisole a lower, percentage of side effects.