The use of mebendazole in the treatment of trichinellosis in man.

A description is given of an epidemic of trichinellosis in the districts of Kosice and Roznava, Slovakia. the confirmed cause of the epidemic was the consumption of wild hog meat which had escaped a veterinary meat inspection. The course of infection was apparent in 10 patients, inapparent in 16. Mebendazole in doses from 100-600 mg/day was administered for 6-10 days to 9 patients with a clinically apparent, and to one patient with an inapparent infection. Both the clinical course and results of a biopsy examination suggested that the doses had not been high enough for a positive effect of the treatment. Two years after the acute stage of trichinellosis, we repeated the treatment in one patient using a dose of 100 mg/day of mebendazole for a period of 14 days. An improvement of the clinical picture and results of a biopsy examination supported our assumption that an effective treatment of acute trichinellosis requires high doses of mebendazole.