Flow chart detailing the study participation and compliance.

<p>Children who completed two stool samples were included in the final analysis for assessing the efficacy of single-dose albendazole (400 mg) and single-dose mebendazole (500 mg) treatment against hookworm and concomitant helminth infections in Bachieng district, Champasack province, southern Lao PDR in February/March 2009.</p

Infection rate and cure rate of albendazole and mebendazole for hookworm co-infections.

a<p><i>OR 0.8 [95% CI (0.2–2.6; P = 0.71) comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole</i>.</p>b<p> <i>ERRR n.a.</i></p>c<p><i>OR 0.8 [95% CI (0.3–1.9; P = 0.58)] comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole</i>.</p>d<p><i>ERRR 0.7 [95% CI (0.3–1.2; P = 0.22)] comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole</i>.</p>e<p><i>OR 0.7 [95% CI (0.3–1.9; P = 0.62)] comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole</i>.</p>f<p><i>ERRR 0.8 [95% CI (0.2–3.9; P = 0.78)] comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole</i>.</p><p><i>Note. Data are number; (%) of children, unless otherwise indicated (95% confident interval); GM, geometric mean; EPG, eggs per gram of stool; ERRR, egg reduction rate ratio; OR odds ratio; n.a. not applicable</i>.</p

Baseline characteristics of 171 hookworm-infected school children, Bachieng district, Champasak province, Lao PDR, in February/March 2009.

a<p><i>According to guidelines put forth by WHO regarding definition of anemia </i><a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001417#pntd.0001417-WHO5" target="_blank">[<i>42</i>]</a>.</p>b<p><i>According to guidelines put forth by WHO </i><a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001417#pntd.0001417-WHO4" target="_blank">[<i>25</i>]</a><i>, based on Kato-Katz thick smear examination</i>.</p>c<p><i>According to Maleewong and colleagues </i><a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001417#pntd.0001417-Maleewong1" target="_blank">[<i>24</i>]</a><i>, based on Kato-Katz thick smear examination</i>.</p><p><i>Data are no; (%) of subject, otherwise indicated (95% confidence interval); EPG, eggs per gram of stool; GM, geometric mean</i>.</p

Hookworm infection at baseline and follow-up and cure rate of albendazole and mebendazole (per-protocol analysis).

a<p> <i>OR 0.4 [95% CI (0.2–0.8; P = 0.01)] comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole;</i></p>b<p> <i>P = 0.13;</i></p>c<p> <i>P = 0.04;</i></p>d<p> <i>P = 0.46;</i></p>e<p><i>ERRR 1.0 [95% CI (0.7–1.6; P = 0.90)] comparison of treatment outcomes between mebendazole vs. albendazole</i>.</p><p><i>Note. Data are number; (%) of children, unless otherwise indicated (95% confident interval); GM, geometric mean; EPG, eggs per gram of stool; ERRR egg reduction rate ratio; OR odds ratio; n.a. not applicable</i>.</p

Solicited adverse events reported 24 hours following PZQ administration (<i>n</i> = 93).

*<p>according to exact χ² test.</p><p>The two study groups were 40 mg/kg <i>vs.</i> 75 mg/kg divided into 2 doses of 50 mg/kg+25 mg/kg, 4 hours apart.</p

Sensitivity of different sampling efforts to detect <i>S. mekongi</i> and <i>O. viverrini</i> infections.

<p>Study was carried out among 93 children in primary and secondary schools on Don Long Island, Khong district, Champasack province, Lao PDR in February and March 2007. Sensitivity is compared before (<i>n</i> = 90) and after PZQ administration (<i>n</i> = 66), using the maximum sampling effort as the diagnostic ‘gold’ standard for the following sampling efforts: 1×1 sampling effort examines the first Kato-Katz thick smear only; 1×3 examines the first stool specimen by triplicate Kato-Katz thick smears; 3×1 examines 3 stool specimens by a single Kato-Katz thick smear for each specimen.</p

Geometric mean fecal egg counts according to the sampling effort.

<p>Geometric mean fecal egg counts before and after PZQ treatment, by the number of days of stool specimen collection (x-axis), based on children diagnosed “infected” following maximum Kato-Katz thick smear sampling effort. (a) <i>S. mekongi</i> infected at baseline (day 0), <i>n</i> = 79; days 28–30 after treatment, <i>n</i> = 14; and (b) <i>O. viverrini</i> infected at baseline (day 0), <i>n</i> = 89; days 28–30 after treatment, <i>n</i> = 11. Each point on a curve represents the geometric mean fecal egg count for each sampling effort (number of Kato-Katz thick smears examined per stool specimen).</p

<i>O. viverrini</i> infection intensity before (D0) and posttreatment (D28) and egg reduction rate for maximum and minimum diagnostic effort.

<p>EPG, eggs per gram of stool; ERR, egg reduction rate; GM, geometric mean; na, not applicable.</p

Cumulative prevalence according to the sampling effort.

<p>Cumulative infection prevalences for (a) <i>S. mekongi</i> and (b) <i>O. viverrini</i> by the number over consecutive days of stool specimen collection (x-axis). Each point on a curve represents a cumulative prevalence value for each sampling effort (number of Kato-Katz thick smears per stool specimen). At baseline (day 0), <i>n</i> = 90; after treatment (days 28–30), <i>n</i> = 66.</p

<i>S. mekongi</i> infection intensity before (D0) and posttreatment (D28) and egg reduction rate for maximum and minimum diagnostic effort.

<p>EPG, eggs per gram of stool; ERR, egg reduction rate; GM, geometric mean; na, not applicable.</p