CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS: IMPORTANT TREATMENT ADVANCE?

AIDS TREATMENT NEWS has heard credible rumors that a new drug used to kill parasites in animals might be effective for treating cryptosporidiosis, a serious opportunistic infection which causes severe diarrhea in persons with AIDS.

The drug, diclazuril (trade name Clinacox), kills parasites and their cysts in chickens, when added to their feed in as little as one part per million, or when given as a single dose of 5 mg/kg. We have heard that a few people have used diclazuril in Africa and in the United States, and that a dose of 200 mg per day or slightly more may completely eliminate cryptosporidiosis in many cases, killing both the organism and the cysts in a few days. However, the drug is not approved anywhere for human use, and we have not yet confirmed that the 200 mg dose is safe or effective. And no one is sure how long the treatment may need to be continued.

We do not know in which countries diclazuril is currently marketed for agricultural use.

We decided to publish this short article, despite the fragmentary information, so that others can help us investigate and learn more. If you have any information about diclazuril, please contact John James at AIDS TREATMENT NEWS, 415/255- 0588, or by mail.

References

No human research has been published. We obtained the following references by computer searches and have not yet seen the articles.

Animal Pharm World Animal Health News : Number 139, page 18, October 9, 1987; Number 140, pages 8-9, October 23, 1987; Number 166, page 14, November 4, 1988; Review issue, page 14, January 6, 1989.

Jensen, JF. Comparison of the new coccidiostat diclazuril and an approved coccidiostat in research with broilers (English transla- tion of Danish title). Statens Husdyrbrugsforsoeg, number 724, October 6, 1988.

Kutzner, E and others. Diclazuril, a new anticoccidial agent for broilers (English translation of German title). Wiener Tierarztliche Monatsschrift, volume 75 number 11, pages 415- 419, 1988.

Maes, L and others. In vivo action of the anticoccidial diclazuril (Clinacox) on the developmental stages of Eimeria tenella: a histological study. J. Parasitol volume 74 number 6, pages 931- 938, December 1988

Mathis, GF and others. Anticoccidial efficacy of diclazuril in chickens. 77th Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association, Inc. Poult Sci 67 (supplement 1), 115, 1988.

Verheyen, A and others. In vivo action of the anticoccidial diclazuril (Clinacox) on the developmental stages of Eimeria tenella: an ultrastructural evaluation. J Parasitol, volume 74 number 6, pages 939-949, December 1988.