{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T10:35:04Z","timestamp":1782902104773,"version":"3.54.5"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012383","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751328000000}}],"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,20]],"date-time":"2025-06-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750377600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001713","name":"European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["TMA2019CDF-2730"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TMA2019CDF-2730"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001713","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec029\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p><jats:italic>Loa loa<\/jats:italic> infection is endemic in central African countries and particularly in Gabon. Treatment typically involves the use of ivermectin and albendazole, with albendazole often administered to reduce microfilaremia in individuals with high microfilaremia before taking ivermectin. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of albendazole in patients with low microfilaremia.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec030\">\n<jats:title>Methodology and principal findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The study was conducted from November 2021 to April, 2022 in the Woleu-Ntem province of northern Gabon. Following a questionnaire, direct examination of 10 \u00b5L of blood and leukoconcentration technique were perfomed for <jats:italic>Loa loa<\/jats:italic> detection. Of 406 identified microfilaremic cases, 48 volunteers were randomized, 21 women and 27 men, their mean age was 51\u2009\u00b1\u200913 years. Overall, 24 received, daily 400\u2009mg albendazole for30 days and 24 others were treated with a single course of 200 \u03bcg\/kg ivermectin. Microfilaremia and adverse events were monitored from D0 to D30. In the per-protocol analysis, the mean microfilaremia decreased significantly by 82.3% and 90.4% in the albendazole and ivermectin groups, respectively (p&lt; 0.001). The risk difference between both treatments was 8.1% [95% CI: 16.8; -0.6%]. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the mean microfilaremia decreased significantly by 82.4% and 90.8% in the ALB and IVM groups, respectively (p&lt; 0.001), with a risk difference of 8.4% [95% CI: 16.2; 0.6%]. Eosinophil levels decreased by day 30, although they were not significantly different following albendazole and ivermectin treatments.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec031\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions\/Significance<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Albendazole demonstrated microfilaricidal activity in individuals with low <jats:italic>Loa loa<\/jats:italic> microfilaremia following a 30-day treatment. The monitoring of parasite density 3\u201310 months post-treatment is needed to complete the present findings.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012383","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,20]],"date-time":"2025-06-20T17:41:44Z","timestamp":1750441304000},"page":"e0012383","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Efficacy and safety of albendazole 400\u2009mg for 30 days compared to single dose of ivermectin in adult patients with low Loa loa microfilaremia: A non-inferiority randomized controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Luccheri","family":"Ndong Akomezoghe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4994-3355","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"No\u00e9 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