Ethiopian children treated for Schistosoma mansoni Two drugs, praziquantel and oxamniquine, are available for the treatment of<unk> . They are considered equivalent in relation to efficacy against S. mansoni and safety. Because of praziquantel's lower cost per treatment, and oxaminiquine's lack of efficacy against the urogenital form of the disease caused by S. haematobium, in general praziquantel is considered the first option for treatment. Praziquantel can be safely used in pregnant women and young children. The treatment objective is to cure the disease and to prevent the evolution of the acute to the chronic form of the disease. All cases of suspected<unk>  should be treated regardless of presentation because the adult parasite can live in the host for years.<unk>  is treatable by taking by mouth a single dose of the drug praziquantel annually. Praziquantel only eliminates the adult schistosomes, but it is not effective in killing the eggs and immature worms. Live eggs can be excreted by the infected individuals for weeks after treatment with Praziquantel. The immature worms can survive and grow up to be adult schistosomes after Praziquantel therapy. Thus, it is important to have repeated<unk>  testing of the stool and/or urine around 4-6 weeks after Praziquantel therapy. Treatment of Praziquantel may be repeated to ensure complete elimination of the parasite. The WHO has developed guidelines for community treatment based on the impact the disease has on children in villages in which it is common: * When a village reports more than 50 per cent of children have blood in their urine, everyone in the village receives treatment. * When 20 to 50 percent of children have bloody urine, only school-age children are treated. * When fewer than 20 percent of children have symptoms, mass treatment is not implemented. Other possible treatments include a combination of praziquantel with metrifonate, artesunate, or mefloquine. A Cochrane review found tentative evidence that when used alone, metrifonate was as effective as praziquantel. Mefloquine, which has previously been used to treat and prevent malaria, was recognised in 2008–2009 to be effective against Schistosoma. Historically, antimony potassium tartrate remained the treatment of choice for<unk>  until the development of praziquantel in the 1980s. Post-treatment monitoring Osteopontin (OPN) is a promising tool for monitoring Praziquantel efficacy and post-treatment fibrosis regression as (OPN) expression is modulated by Schistosoma mansoni egg antigens and its levels correlate with severity of<unk>  fibrosis and portal hypertension in mice and humans. Praziquantel (PZQ) pharmacotherapy reduces systemic OPN levels and liver collagen content in mice.
Schistosomiasis
Toxocariasis
Trypanosomiasis
Filariasis
Cyclosporiasis
Cryptosporidiosis
Tylosis
Acariasis