Abstract
One hundred cases of intestinal amoebiasis (95 patients and 5 employees) of the Pediatrics ward, Hospital San Juan de Dios, San José, Costa Rica, were. studied and treated with paromomycin sulfate (Humatin). The effectiveness of the drug against Entamoeba histolytica in vegetative and cyst forms was studied, as well as on other intestinal protozoa and pathogenic bacteria.
Antiamoebic activity of Humatin was confirmed, varying according to the length of treatment - 5, 8 or 10 days. A similar variation was observed in its action against Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Iodamoeba butschlii, Trichomonas hominis, Enteromonas hominis, and Chilomastix memili, while little effect was observed on Giardia lamblia and Balantidium coli.
The authors conclude that a 10-day treatment with daily doses of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight is most effective against the parasites mentioned, The effect on enteropathogenic bacteria is discussed.