Anthelmintic

Anthelmintic effect of papain on Heligmosomoides bakeri.

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).

Pharmaceuticals

• Benzimidazoles:

• Albendazole – effective against threadworms, roundworms, whipworms, tapeworms, hookworms
• Mebendazole – effective against pinworms, roundworms and hookworms
• Thiabendazole – effective against roundworms, hookworms
• Fenbendazole – effective against gastrointestinal parasites
• Triclabendazole – effective against liver flukes
• Flubendazole – effective against most intestinal parasites

• Abamectin – effective against most common intestinal worms, except tapeworms, for which praziquantel is commonly used in conjunction with abamectin
• Diethylcarbamazine – effective against Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, loiasis
• Niclosamide – effective against tapeworms
• Ivermectin – effective against most common intestinal worms (except tapeworms)
• Suramin – It is used for treatment of human sleeping sickness caused by trypanosomes
• Pyrantel pamoate – effective against most nematode infections
• Levamisole
• Praziquantel – effective against cestodes, some trematodes
• Octadepsipeptides (e.g.: Emodepside) – effective against a variety of gastrointestinal helminths
• Aminoacetonitrile derivatives (e.g. Monepantel): effective against a variety of gastrointestinal roundworms including those resistant to other anthelmintic classes.
• Spiroindoles (e.g. derquantel): effective against a range of gastrointestinal roundworms including those resistant to other anthelmintic classes

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 future control of worm parasites of small ruminants and horses. This is especially true of nematodes and has contributed to the development of aminoacetonitrile derivatives for treatment against drug resistant nematodes.

The clinical definition of resistance is a 95% or less reduction in a "Fecal Egg Count" test.

Treatment with an antihelminthic drug kills worms whose phenotype renders them susceptible to the drug. Worms that are resistant survive and pass on their "resistance" genes. Resistant worms accumulate and finally treatment failure occurs. See drug resistance.

References

General references

• Department of the Army Headquarters (2004). U.S. Army Survival Manual Fm 21-76. Barnes & Noble Inc. ISBN 0-7607-4988-4. 

External links

• Anthelmintics at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Plant products in the treatment and control of filariasisand other helminth infections and assay systems for antifilarial/anthelminthic activity.