[Clinical and therapeutic study of a group of 217 patients with intestinal giardiasis and amebiasis].

In 15 months of the years 1979-1980, 158 patients with giardiasis and 69 patients with intestinal amebiasis were diagnosed and treated in the outpatient department of the Swiss Tropical Institute. Repeated examination of merthiolate-iodine-formol-fixed stools was the method of choice for detecting intestinal protozoa. Parasitological investigation of duodenal fluid (Enterotest) was less effective. Fewer than 30% of the cases were symptomatic, usually mentioning diarrhea (73-85%) or abdominal discomfort (20-44%). Treatment was by ornidazole single dose (2 g in adults; 40 mg/kg in children) for asymptomatic cases and a five-day treatment schedule (2 X 500 mg/day in adults, 20 mg/day in children) for symptomatic cases. In amebiasis a luminal amebicide (diloxanide furoate) was prescribed in all instances after the first stool examination. Parasitological cure rates were excellent (95%) in all cases of giardiasis but only 59 and 65% respectively in cases of asymptomatic and symptomatic amebiasis. Drug tolerance was excellent. Ornidazole is the drug of choice for all forms of giardiasis, even in a single dose. As a luminal amebicide, however, its efficacy is not superior to other nitroimidazole derivatives.