MedicinemedRxiv
Ranked by formulaVerdict: NotableEfficacy of Repeated-Dose Albendazole/ Mebendazole Regimens for Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections in Paediatric Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Preventive chemotherapy via single-dose benzimidazoles remains the core strategy for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) control.
Key numbers
- 95% CI
- 1,718 participants
Caveats
- Preprint; not yet peer reviewed.
VerdictWorth a reader's time today.
Abstract
Background: Preventive chemotherapy via single-dose benzimidazoles remains the core strategy for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) control. However, single-dose regimens often yield sub-optimal clearance against species such as Trichuris trichiura and hookworm. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the comparative efficacy of repeated-dose versus standard single-dose albendazole or mebendazole regimens in paediatric populations. Methods: Registered prospectively on PROSPERO (CRD420261491616), a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar identified clinical trials comparing repeated-dose against single-dose albendazole or mebendazole in paediatric STH infections. Primary outcomes were cure rate (CR) and egg reduction rate (ERR). Random-effects models synthesized pooled odds ratios (OR) and mean differences (MD). Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool. Results: Five randomized clinical trials (N = 1,718 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Overall, repeated dosing demonstrated significant superiority in cure rate (pooled OR = 4.47, 95% CI: 1.58-12.67; I{superscript 2} = 92%) and egg reduction rate (pooled MD = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.01-0.32; I{superscript 2} = 87%). Discussion: Repeated-dose benzimidazole regimens offer superior overall therapeutic efficacy compared to standard single-dose administration in children. However, this therapeutic advantage is drug-specific: multi-dose albendazole consistently enhances parasite clearance across trial settings, whereas multi-dose mebendazole exhibits variable performance and lacks conclusive superiority over single dosing. Conclusion: Transitioning to targeted, multi-dose albendazole protocols--rather than mebendazole--may serve as an effective public health intervention to eliminate residual parasite reservoirs in high-transmission endemic regions.
The editor's rubric
| Dimension | Level | Weight | What that level means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leverage | ██░░░ 2 | 10% | Reusable within one subfield (a technique, dataset, or protocol a few groups will adopt). |
| Magnitude | █░░░░ 1 | 20% | Marginal: within noise or a few percent on a saturated benchmark. |
| Evidence | █████ 5 | 32% | Definitive: phase 3 randomized evidence on hard endpoints, multi-lab replication, or community verification at scale. |
| Novelty | █░░░░ 1 | 8% | A minor twist on a known approach. |
| Trajectory | ██░░░ 2 | 5% | Some room to improve with obvious engineering. |
| Stakes | ███░░ 3 | 25% | Meaningful benefit to many people within a few years. |
Editor’s rationale
Heuristic triage from title and abstract text only, not a reading of the paper. Cues found: gains (outperforms); novelty (alternative to status quo); design (randomized, meta-analysis); verification (confidence interval, error bars); stakes (global scale, major disease, prevention or cure). Red flags: review or survey.
How the score was computed
- Merit
- 5.9 / 10
- Adjusted merit
- 4.9 / 10
- Attention
- 0%
- Freshness
- 92%