03302nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260003700042653005700079653002400136653002100160100001600181700001200197700001300209700001200222700001300234700001500247700001600262700001000278700001500288700001500303700001400318700001400332245015400346856009900500300001300599490000700612520235500619022001402974       2021                            d  bPublic Library of Science (PLoS)10aPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health10aInfectious Diseases10aivermectin (IVM)1 aNikièma AS1 aKoala L1 aSondo AK1 aPost RJ1 aParé AB1 aKafando CM1 aKambiré RS1 aSow B1 aBougouma C1 aDabiré RK1 aTraoré S1 aMurdoch M00aThe impact of ivermectin on onchocerciasis in villages co-endemic for lymphatic filariasis in an area of onchocerciasis recrudescence in Burkina Faso  uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009117&type=printable  ae00091170 v153 a<jats:p>In Burkina Faso, onchocerciasis was no longer a public health problem when the WHO Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa closed at the end in 2002. However, epidemiological surveillance carried out from November 2010 to February of 2011, showed a recrudescence of infection in the Cascades Region. This finding was made at a time when ivermectin, a drug recommended for the treatment of both onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, had been distributed in this area since 2004 for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. It was surprising that ivermectin distributed for treating lymphatic filariasis had not prevented the recrudescence of onchocerciasis. Faced with this situation, the aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ivermectin on the onchocerciasis parasite. The percentage reduction in microfilarial load after treatment with ivermectin was used as a proxy measure for assessing possible resistance. A cohort study was carried out with 130 individuals who had tested positive for microfilariae of <jats:italic>Onchocerca volvulus</jats:italic> in 2010 using microscopic examination of skin-snip biopsies from five endemic villages. Subjects were followed from July 2011 to June 2012. The microfilarial load of each individual was enumerated by skin-snip biopsy in 2010, prior to the first ivermectin treatment against onchocerciasis under community guidelines. All individuals received two ivermectin treatments six months apart. In 2012, the microfilarial loads were determined again, six months after the second round of ivermectin and the reductions in parasite loads were calculated to measure the impact of the drug. The percentage reduction of the microfilarial loads ranged from 87% to 98% in the villages. In all villages, there was a statistically significant difference between the average microfilarial loads in 2010 and 2012. The level of reduction of microfilarial loads suggests that ivermectin is effective against the recrudescent population of <jats:italic>O</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>volvulus</jats:italic> in Cascades Region of Burkina Faso. Further investigations would be necessary to determine the causes of the recrudescence of onchocerciasis. (For French language abstract, see S1 Alternative Language Abstract—Translation of the Abstract into French by the authors.)</jats:p>  a1935-2735