Very prolonged treatment with albendazole of a case of disseminated abdominal cystic echinococcosis

Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated by 'Echinococcus' eggs. E. granulosus is the most common causative agent of cystic echinococcosis that still has a relevant incidence in Italy, especially on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. We rep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tropical medicine and infectious disease 2023-09, Vol.8 (9), p.1-6
Main Authors: Buscemi, Carola, Randazzo, Cristiana, Buscemi, Paolo, Caldarella, Rosalia, Lombardo, Martina, Buscemi, Silvio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Albendazole
Antibodies
Care and treatment
Case Report
Case reports
Clinical trials
Contamination
cystic echinococcosis
Cysts
Diabetes
Disease
disseminated cystic echinococcosis
Echinococcosis
Echinococcus granulosus
Evaluation
Food contamination
liver cysts
Patients
Type 2 diabetes
Zoonoses
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Summary:Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated by 'Echinococcus' eggs. E. granulosus is the most common causative agent of cystic echinococcosis that still has a relevant incidence in Italy, especially on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. We report the case of a 64-year-old man with disseminated abdominal cystic echinococcosis (liver, spleen, peritoneum). The patient was asymptomatic and non-eligible for surgical treatment. Treatment with albendazole 400 mg/twice daily was started in 2012 for 15 cycles (each cycle consisted of three 28-day treatments at 14-day intervals) over 10 years for a total of 1260 days of treatment. Serum anti-'Echinococcus' antibody titers and imaging (echography, TC) were evaluated to monitor the evolution of the disease. Imaging techniques documented the regression of all cyst lesions, but it was less evident for the peritoneal localizations that still are in follow-up. In this case, the prolonged treatment with albendazole was effective, safe and free of side effects. Until today, the patient displays a good clinical condition.
ISSN:2414-6366
2414-6366
DOI:10.3390/tropicalmed8090449