Paromomycin (humatin) in amoebic infection

Abstract

Paromomycin (Humatin) controlled the amoebic infection in eight out of 11 infected guinea-pigs. Five kept well with negative caecal contents during the follow-up period of 5, 7, 14, 24 and 27 weeks. One relapsed after 4 weeks. Two developed diarrhoea and died about a week after completion of the therapy. Subsequently 20 patients (16 dysenteric and 4 non-dysenteric cases) were treated with the drug. It was effective in all but two, as regards the intestinal infection, but the associated liver involvement remained uninfluenced. In fact, one had actually passed into an acute condition (? abscess) after effective treatment of the intestinal amoebiasis. Eight patients developed temporary diarrhoea as a side-effect of paromomycin. Eleven cases were followed up for 1 to 3 months; there was early relapse with positive stool report in four of these.