Macrofilaricidal activity of oral flubendazole on Brugia pahangi.

The macrofilaricidal effect of orally administered flubendazole on Brugia pahangi was studied in the multimammate rat, Mastomys natalensis. A micronized formulation was incorporated in the routine feed for 2 weeks, starting 16 weeks after infection. In the treated rats the microfilarial density dropped to zero 20 weeks after infection, whereas it remained high in untreated animals. When killed between 40 and 41 weeks after infection, the treated group yielded a mean of 2 male and 0.16 female worms per rat, while the untreated group had means of 12 and 15.75 respectively. Flubendazole had no direct microfilaricidal effect.