Comparison of lucanthone hydrochloride and TWSb in the treatment of Schistosoma haematobium infection in Tanganyika

Lucanthone hydrochloride and TWSb, with and without dimercaptosuccinic acid, were given to school children harbouring S. haematobium during a period when transmission was not taking place. When followed up after 4 months, two of 15 children who had been given lucanthone hydrochloride in a dose of 10 mg./kg. body weight twice daily for 3 days were excreting viable ova, and one of 9, who had been given three injections of 0.5 gramme of TWSb, was passing viable ova. Dimercaptosuccinic acid reduced the incidence of headache, nausea and abdominal pain accompanying TWSb therapy, but it resulted in a much reduced cure rate. Side-effects with lucanthone hydrochloride were moderately severe, though all patients completed treatment. Neither drug is considered satisfactory for schistosomiasis control in East Africa in the regions described above.