Dr. Kassai Tibor szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 2. (Budapest, 1969)

ment with atabrine on the sixth and seventh day of the experiment they were given' daily 150,000 IU vitamin A. We observed that the increase in their vitamin A status (median:from 61,0 IU/100 ml to 93,0 IU/100 ml) was similar to that of those children who were treated only with drugs. This suggests that recovery from giardiasis brought about an improvement in ab sorption time

. The results of observations made over longer periods are summarized in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 The patients in these cases were treated by atabrine. The serum vitamin A (SVA) levels of the subjects listed in Fig. 4 increased after treatment and remained constant throughout the observation. With two patients Sz. L. (1955) and K. J. (1957) reinfestation occurred, and depressed the higher level of SVA reached earlier. The SVA levels of the controls did not change during the period of observation. The SVA levels of the patients shown in F i g. 5 also altered considerably during the period of several years of observation. The results obtained with two patients (K. B. /1957 arid G. J. /1956/) are especially noteworthy; these subjects were not infected at the beginning of our investigations, however, it can readily be seen that their SVA levels decreased following infestation; after succesful treatment, normal vitamin A metabolism was re-established. Discussion The authors verified and analysed the secondary vitamin A defi ciency caused by giardiasis. It is important not only because of its special symptomatology, but also because it decreases the host's T-esistance

, thus rendering him susceptible to other