Office-made 4% Albendazole Cream is an Effective Alternative Therapy for Cutaneous Larva Migrans: A Report of Three Cases

Abstract

Introduction. Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM), commonly called creeping eruption, is a parasitic skin disorder caused by the invasion of larva to the skin. This disease classically presents as serpiginous lesions. Larva frequently originates from fecal material of cats and dogs. The pruritus is usually intense and if not treated might disrupt activity, lead to secondary infection, and extend to other regions. Oral and topical antihelminthic agents are the first-line treatment with excellent clinical response. However, they are not always readily available, as is it the case in our region. We attempt to tackle this limitation by formulating an office-made albendazole cream. This report shows the clinical efficacy of our regimen in three cases of CLM. Case Report. We report three cases of CLM diagnosed through history taking and clinical presentation. All cases were treated with topical office-made albendazole as requested by the patients and due to resource limitation. The topical preparation was made by dissolving 400 mg albendazole tablet into sterile water and mixing it with Vaseline to form 4% cream. Three times daily application for seven days led to excellent clinical response. Conclusion. Our 4% office-made albendazole cream was shown to be effective in treating CLM. Thus, this simple and practical preparation may serve as an alternative treatment for CLM.