Case report: effects of diethylcarbamazine and thiabendazole combination against Mansonella perstans filariasis.

Abstract

Mansonella perstans filariasis is widely present in Africa and equatorial America and its pathogenicity has been recently reconsidered. Effective treatment is lacking and there is no consensus on optimal therapeutic approach. We present the results of a new combination treatment against M. perstans filariasis. Two cases of M. perstans filariasis were treated with the combination of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and thiabendazole. The treatment was able to significantly reduce microfilaria burden in a case and to achieve complete clearance of blood microfilariae in another case.