Mebendazole therapy of whipworm infestation: a clinical trial.

Mebendazole, a new broad-spectrum oral anthelmintic for nematodes, was given to patients harboring whipworm in a hospital for the mentally retarded. A three-day regimen (100 mg twice a day) dewormed 75% of the subjects, a five-day regimen cured 95%. The remaining patients excreted strikingly lesser amounts of the parasites' eggs after therapy. No untoward effects were noted clinically. It is the drug of choice in mixed worm infestations.