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).
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Pharmaceutical classes
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- 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
- 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 helminths including those resistant to the other drug classes.
Natural antihelmintics
Examples of naturally occurring anthelmintics include:
- Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum & Nicotiana rustica)[1]
- Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae)
- Neem (Azadirachta indica)
- Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
- wormwood (Artemisia absynthium)
- Mexican Wormwood (Artemisia mexicana)
- clove (Syzygium aromaticum)
- tansy tea (Tanacetum vulgare)
- Hagenia (Hagenia abyssinica)
- Garlic (Allium sativum)
- Chive juice
- Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
- Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
- kalonji (Nigella sativa) seeds
- male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)
- Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) [2]
- Honey mixed with water and vinegar was also used as a vermifuge.
- Plumeria (P. acutifolia or P. rubra) in Brazilian folk medicine.[3]
- Peganum harmala[4]
- Banisteriopsis caapi
- genistein (from soy and other legumes)
- Haritaki or Black Myrobalan (Terminalia chebula)
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.[clarification needed]
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
Footnotes
- ^ The Merck Index, 12th Ed., page 1119: entry 6611 Nicotine, Merck & Co. 1996
- ^ V. A. Zamureenko, N. A. Klyuev, B. V. Bocharov, V. S. Kabanov and A. M. Zakharov, "An investigation of the component composition of the essential oil of Monarda fistulosa", Chemistry of Natural Compounds, Vol. 25, No. 5, Sep. 1989.
- ^ Arnold, M.D., Harry L. (1968). Poisonous Plants of Hawaii. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Company. pp. 51. ISBN 0-8048-0474-5.
- ^ "Peganum harmala". 2004. http://www.sdpi.org/alpine%20medicianl%20herbs/39.htm. Retrieved 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
- Anthelmintics at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
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