Efficacy of low doses of praziquantel in taeniasis.

Early experimental studies suggested that doses of 1 to 5 mg of praziquantel (PZQ) per kg are effective against several intestinal cestodiases. The usually recommended single dose of PZQ in human taeniasis is 5 or 10 mg/kg. A study in T. saginata taeniasis showed a full efficacy at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg. A field study confirmed that a dose between 3.4 and 7.5 mg/kg was effective in expulsion T. solium tapeworms in man. A dose of 2.5 mg of PZQ per kg would be safer and more economical in population-oriented interventions aiming at control of T. solium taeniasis in man.