Treatment of Lambliasis with Acranil 1

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to report on the treatment of Giardia lamblia infection carried out by us during 1938–1939 with “acranil” (3 chloro-7-methoxy-9-(2 hydroxy-3-diethyl-amino) propylamino-acridine-dihydrochloride), an acridine derivative closely related to “atabrine” or “quinacrine.” This study was carried out with a view of determining the effect of the drug on infection with G. lamblia. No attempt was made to study the symptomatology or pathogenesis of lambliasis nor to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the drug on the clinical syndrome evoked by the infection. Moore and Dennis (1940) fully discussed the incidence and importance of Giardia lamblia in diarrheas of children at Beirut, Lebanon. Breuer (1938) gave a full discussion of the parasitology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, symptomatology and prophylaxis of lambliasis and reviewed the effectiveness of most of the drugs used for treatment of this condition up to 1938. We do not feel justified in presenting a second review of the same subject.