Antihelminthic Therapy Combined With Antimony in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by a parasite and transmitted by the sand fly. There are a number of diseases associated with infection ranging from simple skin lesions to a severe, fatal form. The standard treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a 20 day course of antimony which, although fairly effective, has multiple side effects and is difficult to administer. The populations that are affected by leishmaniasis are usually also affected by intestinal helminths (worms). It is unknown what effect these two diseases have on each other and the immune system. As pathology in CL is mediated by an inflammatory reaction and helminths down regulate inflammation, helminthic infection may be beneficial for leishmaniasis. However, a recent study by our research group suggested that subjects infected with both leishmania and helminths have longer healing times and are less likely to respond to antimony. Since failure of initial therapy often results in repeat courses of the drug or development of more severe disease, we propose a study to investigate the role of early treatment for co-existing helminth infections in improving response rates to antimony in subjects with CL.

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects with a diagnosis of CL based on the presence of typical skin lesions and a positive Montenegro skin test
• Evidence of helminthic infection by parasitological examination of first stool sample
• Males or females between 13 and 50 years of age
• Maximum of 3 ulcers with no more than 2 body regions involved
• Period of 15 to 60 days from the onset of the first ulcer
• Subject agreement to follow-up visits and therapy
• Ability to give informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding mothers
• Presence of mucosal disease
• History of prior treatment with antimonial drugs.
• History of prior treatment with anthelminthic drugs within the last 6 months.
• History of allergy to pentavalent antimony or antihelminthic
• Presence of underlying disease which affects the immune response, such as HIV and diabetes mellitus