CLINICA L FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE AMEBIC PROCTOCOLITIS A ND EFFICA CY OF COMBINED THERAPY WITH SACCHAROMYCES BOULARDII

Intestinal amebiasis has a worldwide distribution and is common in tropical and subtropical areas. [n this prospective 7-month study, we studied the main clinical findings in patients with acute amebic proctocolitis and the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) treatment of these patients.Initially, 57 cases with acute amebic proctocolitis were selected. The maximum occurrence of infection was found to be in the 30-39 year old age group. The patients were then randomized to two therapeutic regimens. The first included metronidazole 750 mg P.O. tid X 1 0 days and iodoquinol630 mg P.O. tid Xl 0 days, and the second was the latter plus S. boulardii 250 mg P.O. tid x 10 days. The diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever were significantly decreased after initation of therapy in patients receiving regimen IT as compared with patients of regimen 1. Four weeks after the end of treatment, the two groups were examined for carrier states (presence of amebic cysts in stool, without symptoms). [n regimen I, the percentage of carriers was [1).4%, but in the patients who received regimen IT, no carriers were found (P= 0.025).