Intravenous veterinary ivermectin in a COVID-19 patient causing neurotoxicity

Stefan Porubcin; Alena Rovnakova; Ondrej Zahornacky; Pavol Jarcuska

doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01446

Intravenous veterinary ivermectin in a COVID-19 patient causing neurotoxicity

IDCases. 2022:27:e01446. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01446. Epub 2022 Feb 7.

Authors

Stefan Porubcin^{1

2}, Alena Rovnakova¹, Ondrej Zahornacky^{1

2}, Pavol Jarcuska^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ The Department of Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Rastislavova 43, Kosice 04011, Slovakia.
² Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice Faculty of Medicine, Tr. SNP No 1, Kosice 04001, Slovakia.

Abstract

Ivermectin administration for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has gained a lot of attention recently. Although ivermectin has a relatively good safety profile, serious adverse events may occur in patients given doses that are presumed experimental. Ivermectin for human use is available only as an oral formulation. Parenteral administration, as a subcutaneous injection, is possible in veterinary medicine only. In this brief report we describe an unprecedented case of a patient with severe neurotoxicity after intravenous administration of veterinary ivermectin for confirmed COVID-19 infection. The patient required hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU). The toxic serum concentration of ivermectin was determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry - time of flight (LC/MS-TOF) with the value of 187.74 ng/mL.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ivermectin; Neurotoxicity.

Publication types

Case Reports