anthelmintic

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:

• Abamectin – effective against most common intestinal worms, except tapeworms, for which Praziquantel is commonly used in conjunction with abamectin
• 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
• Flubendazole – effective against most intestinal parasites
• Fenbendazole – effective against gastrointestinal parasites
• 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 antihelmintics

Examples of naturally occurring anthelmintics include:

• Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum & Nicotiana rustica)^[1]
• Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae) (Micronutrient Powder)
• Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
• wormwood (Artemisia absynthium)
• clove (Syzygium aromaticum)
• tansy tea (Tanacetum vulgare)
• Hagenia (Hagenia abyssinica)
• Garlic (Allium sativum)
• Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
• kalonji (Nigella sativa) seeds
• male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)
• Plumeria (P. acutifolia or P. rubra) in Brazilian folk medicine.^[2]
• Peganum harmala^[3]

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 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.^{[clarification needed]}

Treatment with an antihelminthic drug kills worms whose genotype 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

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (September 2009)

Footnotes

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

• MeSH Anthelmintics

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