The following tables (4.9, 4.10, and 4.11) are reproduced from The Medical Letter.¹ These tables provide recommendations that are likely to be consistent in many cases with those of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases, as given in the disease-specific chapters in Section 3. However, because The Medical Letter recommendations are developed independently, these recommendations occasionally may differ from recommendations of the AAP. Accordingly, both should be consulted. The AAP appreciates the consideration of The Medical Letter in allowing this information to be reprinted.

Table4-9

Table 4-10

Table 4-11

In Table 4.9, first-choice and alternative drugs with recommended adult and pediatric dosages for most parasitic infections are given. In each case, the need for Treatment must be weighed against the toxic effects of the drug. A decision to withhold therapy often may be correct, particularly when the drugs can cause severe adverse effects. When the first-choice drug initially is ineffective and the alternative is more hazardous, a second course of Treatment with the first drug before giving the alternative may be prudent.

Several drugs recommended in Table 4.9 have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and, thus, are investigational (see footnotes). When prescribing an unlicensed drug, the physician should inform the patient of the investigational status and adverse effects of the drug.

These recommendations periodically (usually every other year) are updated by The Medical Letter (www.medicalletter.com) and, thus, likely are to be superseded by new ones before the next edition of the Red Book is published.