Microfilaricidal Actions of Chloroquine and Doxycycline on Onchocerca volvulus in vivo
Abstract
Background: The study examined the microfilaricidal effects of oral administration of chloroquine and doxycycline on Onchocerca volvulus parasites.
Methods: One (1) mg of bloodless skin snip was extirpated from the sterilized posterior iliac crest region of each parasitized participant using a corneo-scleral punch. The skin snip biopsy was immersed in a micro titre plate containing 0.2 ml of normal saline, vigorously agitated and left at the ambient room temperature for 24 hours. The aliquots were observed for emerging microfilariae (mf) which were visualized and counted under a 10X objective microscope prior to drug administration. One hundred (100) participants who tested positive to O. volvulus were recruited into the study on consecutive basis and stratified into 2 treatment and 2 placebo clusters. Group A (n=25) was treated with the standard dose of chloroquine and re-quantitated for parasitemia on day 7, while Group B (n=25) was treated with 200mg daily dose of doxycycline for 6 weeks and re-evaluated for parasite load on weekly basis for six weeks. Placebo participants (Control A n=25; Control B n=25) were treated with standard doses of multivitamin for 1 week and 6 weeks respectively.
Results: Chloroquine and doxycycline exhibited clearance rates of 100% on day 7 and week 5-6 respectively. In Groups A and B, the post-treatment Mean Parasite Densities (MPDs) were significantly lower (p˂0.05) than the pre-treatment levels.
Conclusions: The findings of the present study affirm those of previous studies which suggest that doxycycline could provide a suitable alternative to ivermectin in the treatment of onchocerciasis in Loasis co-endemic areas.
Methods: One (1) mg of bloodless skin snip was extirpated from the sterilized posterior iliac crest region of each parasitized participant using a corneo-scleral punch. The skin snip biopsy was immersed in a micro titre plate containing 0.2 ml of normal saline, vigorously agitated and left at the ambient room temperature for 24 hours. The aliquots were observed for emerging microfilariae (mf) which were visualized and counted under a 10X objective microscope prior to drug administration. One hundred (100) participants who tested positive to O. volvulus were recruited into the study on consecutive basis and stratified into 2 treatment and 2 placebo clusters. Group A (n=25) was treated with the standard dose of chloroquine and re-quantitated for parasitemia on day 7, while Group B (n=25) was treated with 200mg daily dose of doxycycline for 6 weeks and re-evaluated for parasite load on weekly basis for six weeks. Placebo participants (Control A n=25; Control B n=25) were treated with standard doses of multivitamin for 1 week and 6 weeks respectively.
Results: Chloroquine and doxycycline exhibited clearance rates of 100% on day 7 and week 5-6 respectively. In Groups A and B, the post-treatment Mean Parasite Densities (MPDs) were significantly lower (p˂0.05) than the pre-treatment levels.
Conclusions: The findings of the present study affirm those of previous studies which suggest that doxycycline could provide a suitable alternative to ivermectin in the treatment of onchocerciasis in Loasis co-endemic areas.
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