Field trials of praziquantel and oxamniquine for the treatment of schistosomiasis mansoni in Burundi

Praziquantel and oxamniquine were evaluated under operational conditions for use in mass-treatment campaigns in the Rusizi Plain, Burundi. After 6 weeks, the cure rates for oxamniquine at 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg in children (less than 20 years) were respectively 47%, 67% and 86%; in adults they were 86%, 97% and 97%. The egg reduction rates were over 98% in all groups. For praziquantel at 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg the cure rates in children were respectively 58%, 63% and 78%; in adults, 55%, 87% and 91%. The egg reduction rates were respectively 92%, 96%, 98% and 91%, 98%, 98%. These results were largely confirmed by a follow-up 3 months after treatment. Oxamniquine frequently caused important dizziness and drowsiness, and in 2 cases epileptiform seizures. The side effects of praziquantel were mainly mild transient colics and diarrhoea. The cost of oxamniquine (in Burundi) was twice to three times the cost of praziquantel. Because of its better acceptability and its lower cost, with only slightly less good parasitological results, praziquantel, at 40 mg/kg in a single dose, has been selected as the drug of choice for mass-treatment campaigns in Burundi.