Promising Treatment Alternative Against Parasitic Worm Infection

The study team does the clinical examination prior to treatment in the study site in Laos. Photo: Khamphet Vilaisan, Swiss TPH - Strongyloidiasis, a parasitic worm infection caused by soil-transmitted helminths, remains a neglected public health problem with limited treatment options. Swiss TPH researchers conducted the first dose-finding study with moxidectin against strongyloidiasis. The drug could become a treatment alternative to the only treatment available so far and help fill the empty anthelminthic drug pipeline. Infections with the soil-transmitted helminth Strongyloides stercoralis are a considerable global burden. Up to 370 million people are infected worldwide, with the highest infection rates in warm regions with poor sanitary infrastructure. The parasitic worm infections are often asymptomatic and predominantly affect the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and skin.