[Comparative efficacy of annual and semi-annual doses of ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine for the prevention of lymphatic filariasis].

A double blind randomized trial was performed on 58 healthy Polynesian Wuchereria bancrofti carriers, they were randomly allocated to treatments with repeated annual or semi-annual doses of ivermectin 100 mcg/kg or diethylcarbamazine (DEC) 3 mg/kg, or with repeated annual doses of DEC 6 mg/kg. After the 12-month treatment, the clearance of microfilaremia was complete in 7 of the 23 carriers treated with ivermectin and in 3 of the 35 treated with DEC. Nine months after that treatment, the lowest mean microfilaremia was observed in the carriers treated with 3 successive semi-annual doses of DEC 3 mg/kg. Adverse reactions were comparable in carriers treated with ivermectin and in those treated with DEC, and did not interfere with daily activities of treated subjects.