Human hepatic fascioliasis treated with triclabendazole

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Lucinda
• Data de Publicação: 2002
• Outros Autores: Corredoura, Ana Sofia, Beato, Vera, Moraes, Francisca, Sousa, Sílvia, Pinheiro, Niza, Pimenta da Graça, José, Abecasis, Pedro
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/article/view/1848
• topic: febre; hepatomegalia; triclabendazol; fascíoliase; Fever; hepatomegaly; fascioliasis; triclabendazole

Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease that usually affects herbivores. Human infestation occurs through the ingestion of contaminated water or plants. The authors describe four patients from the Republic of Cabo Verde, who presented with prolonged fever, weight loss, tender hepatomegaly, anaemia, hypereosinophilia, an erytrocyte sedimentation rate over 100, low albumin, hypergammaglobulinemia, high alkaline phosphatase and high gama-GT. Fasciola sp. eggs were found in the faeces together with positive serology. Abdominal CT scans revealed hepatomegaly with multiple focal liver lesions not enhanced by contrast and in one of the cases described as “tracking” lesions. The patients were treated with triclabendazole, approved only for veterinary use, but already successfully used in humans without side effects in Europe and Latin America.This treatment was well tolerated and resulted in a good clinical, laboratory and radiological response. The authors propose that triclabendazole should be the treatment of choice in hepatic fascioliasis especially in the light of the known therapeutic failures and multiple side-effects associated with the use of bithionol, emetine, albendazole and praziquantel, the recommended treatment to date of fascioliasis.