Background

Onchocerciasis, also known as “river blindness,” is a parasitic disease that is caused by infection from the filarial nematode (roundworm), Onchocerca volvulus. River Blindness (RB) is treated with ivermectin, which targets the tiny, young worms. It does not kill the large, adult worms. Adult worms need a certain type of bacteria (Wolbachia) to live. Doxycycline is an antibiotic. If doxycycline is able to kill this type of bacteria in the body, adult worms cannot live. The purpose of this review is to find out if combining the antibiotic doxycycline with ivermectin might provide additional benefit in preventing and treating RB.

 Key findings

- Two trials reported no differences in adverse events between treatment groups.

- One study reported that adverse treatment effects, including itching, fever, headache, body pain, and vertigo, occurred in 12% of study participants.

- One study reported that one (1.3%) person had bloody diarrhea after starting treatment with doxycycline plus ivermectin, which stopped when treatment was withdrawn.