Experimental treatment of cysticercosis with metrifonate.

Thirty cysticercous patients were treated with metrifonate in doses of 7.5 mg/kg given for five consecutive days, with intervals of two weeks until completion of six series. The symptoms originated by drug reaction were mild and transitory. The results obtained after treatment demonstrated the effectivity in cerebral ocular and musculocutaneous cysticercosis, corroborated by clinical evaluations like: neurological, ophtalmological and psychiatric examinations; routine laboratory tests; special examinations like indirect immunofluorescence and hemagglutination, immunoglobulin quantitation and cholinesterase activity and by special cabinet studies like electroencephalogram, retinal fluorangiography, axial computerized tomography. The postreatment observation time varied from six months to nine years; in no case reactivation was observed.

Immunological features of tuberculosis.

Some aspects of cell-mediated immunity were explored in a population of 51 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis in comparison with 30 apparently healthy volunteers randomly taken from the Mexican general population. Evaluation included DNCB sensitization, PPD skin test, determination of LIF, E and EAC-rosette formation and the ability of lymphocytes to survive in culture through periods of up to 48 hours. The results for the in vivo assays showed significant differences between the compared populations since the frequency of a positive PPD skin test was higher in the patients (p = 0.0000004) but only 60.8% of them responded to DNBC (p = 0.006). It was expected that there would be some impairment in the production of LIF and in the number of E-rosettes, however, this did not occur. Survival of lymphocytes in culture demonstrated an altered population of cells, probably weak even before blood samples were taken, in the tuberculosis group (p = 0.05). Furthermore, cell mortality was very notable in patients with cavitated and infiltrative lesions, after 48 hours culture (p = 0.015 and 0.02 respectively) suggesting the presence of a population of cells unable to function optimally.

Tratamiento experimental con metrifonato en la cisticercosis. / Experimental treatment of cysticercosis with metrifonate

A 30 pacientes cisticercosos se les administro metrifonato a la dosis de 7,5 mg/kg de peso durante cinco dias consecutivos. Se repitio el tratamiento despues de dos semanas hasta completar un numero de seis series. La sintomatologia indeseable del medicamento fue transitoria en los casos que la presentaron, y cedio al terminar la serie. Los resultados obtenidos demostraron que el medicamento fue eficaz en la cisticercosis cerebral, ocular y musculocutanea, lo que se corroboro por evaluaciones clinicas como examenes neurologicos, oftalmologicos y psiquiatricos, examenes de laboratorio, examenes sistematicos y pruebas especiales como inmunofluorescencia y hemaglutinacion indirecta, cuantificacion de inmunoglobulinas y actividad enzimatica de colinesterasa, y por estudios especiales de gabinete que incluyeron electroencefalograma, fluoroangiografia retiniano y tomografia axial computarizada. El tiempo de observacion postratamiento vario entre seis meses y nueve anos,sin que en ningun caso se presentara reactivacion de la sintomatologia