Experience with Intravenous Metronidazole to Treat Moderate-to-Severe Amebiasis in Japan

Mikio Kimura Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan

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Tetsuya Nakamura Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan

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Yukifumi Nawa Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan

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Twenty-eight cases of either intestinal amebiasis, amebic liver abscess, or both, most of which were of moderate-to-severe intensity, were treated with intravenous metronidazole, pioneered by the Research Group on Chemotherapy of Tropical Diseases, Japan. This study was not conducted as a formal clinical trial, and all patients either underwent colectomy for intestinal amebiasis, received oral metronidazole, or both. Despite these limitations, intravenous metronidazole was shown to be well tolerated and seemed to be very effective. This agent should be more widely recommended than previously thought for treating moderate-to-severe amebiasis, especially its intestinal form.

Author Notes

Reprint requests: Mikio Kimura, Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
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