Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) from the body, by either stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges (stunning) or vermicides (killing).
Pharmaceutical classes
Examples of pharmaceuticals used as anthelmintics include:
- Albendazole – effective against threadworms, roundworms, whipworms, tapeworms, hookworms
- Diethylcarbamazine – effective against Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, loiasis
- Mebendazole – effective against pinworms, roundworms and hookworms
- Niclosamide – effective against tapeworms
- Ivermectin – effective against most common intestinal worms (except tapeworms)
- Suramin
- Thiabendazole – effective against roundworms, hookworms
- Pyrantel pamoate – effective against most nematode infections
- Levamisole
- Piperazine family
- Praziquantel – effective against nematodes, some trematodes
- Triclabendazole – effective against liver flukes
- Octadepsipeptides (eg: Emodepside) – effective against a variety of gastrointestinal helminths
- Amino Acetonitrile derivatives (eg: Monepantel): effective against a variety of gastrointestinal helminths including those resistant to the other drug classes.
Please note that many of these pharameuticals are extremely toxic. Taken in improper dosages they can be dangerous to humans as well as lethal to parasites.
Natural anthelmintics
Examples of naturally occuring anthelmintics include:
Please note that many natural vermifuges or anthelmintics are poisonous and, in improper dosages, dangerous to humans as well as parasites.
Anthelmintic resistance
The ability of worms to survive treatments that are generally effective at the recommended dose rate is considered a major threat to the current future control of worm parasites of small ruminants and horses.
The clinical definition of resistance is a 95% or less reduction in a "Fecal Egg Count" test.clarify
Development of resistance
Treatment eliminates worms whose genotype renders them susceptible. Worms that are resistant survive and pass on their "resistance" genes. Resistant worms accumulate and finally treatment failure occurs.
References
Footnotes
- ^ The Merck Index, 12th Ed., page 1119: entry 6611 Nicotine, Merck & Co. 1996
- ^ Arnold, M.D., Harry L. (1968). Poisonous Plants of Hawaii. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co., 51.
- ^ "Peganum harmala" (2004). Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
General references
- Department of the Army Headquarters (2004). U.S. Army Survival Manual Fm 21-76. Barns & Noble Inc. ISBN 0-7607-4988-4.
External links
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