Anthelmintic

Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite" title="Parasite" class="mw-redirect" >parasitic</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm" title="Worm" >worms</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminths" title="Helminths" class="mw-redirect" >helminths</a>) from the body, by either stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges (stunning) or vermicides (killing).

<h2 >Pharmaceutical classes</h2>

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<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzimidazoles" title="Benzimidazoles" class="mw-redirect" >Benzimidazoles</a>:</li>

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<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albendazole" title="Albendazole" >Albendazole</a> – effective against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threadworms" title="Threadworms" class="mw-redirect" >threadworms</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundworms" title="Roundworms" class="mw-redirect" >roundworms</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipworms" title="Whipworms" class="mw-redirect" >whipworms</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapeworms" title="Tapeworms" class="mw-redirect" >tapeworms</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookworms" title="Hookworms" class="mw-redirect" >hookworms</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebendazole" title="Mebendazole" >Mebendazole</a> – effective against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinworms" title="Pinworms" class="mw-redirect" >pinworms</a>, roundworms and hookworms</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiabendazole" title="Thiabendazole" class="mw-redirect" >Thiabendazole</a> – effective against roundworms, hookworms</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenbendazole" title="Fenbendazole" >Fenbendazole</a> – effective against gastrointestinal parasites</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclabendazole" title="Triclabendazole" >Triclabendazole</a> – effective against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_fluke" title="Liver fluke" >liver flukes</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flubendazole" title="Flubendazole" >Flubendazole</a> – effective against most intestinal parasites</li>

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<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abamectin" title="Abamectin" >Abamectin</a> – effective against most common intestinal worms, except tapeworms, for which <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praziquantel" title="Praziquantel" >praziquantel</a> is commonly used in conjunction with abamectin</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylcarbamazine" title="Diethylcarbamazine" >Diethylcarbamazine</a> – effective against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchereria_bancrofti" title="Wuchereria bancrofti" >Wuchereria bancrofti</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugia_malayi" title="Brugia malayi" >Brugia malayi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugia_timori" title="Brugia timori" >Brugia timori</a>, tropical pulmonary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophilia" title="Eosinophilia" >eosinophilia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loiasis" title="Loiasis" class="mw-redirect" >loiasis</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niclosamide" title="Niclosamide" >Niclosamide</a> – effective against tapeworms</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin" title="Ivermectin" >Ivermectin</a> – effective against most common intestinal worms (except tapeworms)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suramin" title="Suramin" >Suramin</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrantel_pamoate" title="Pyrantel pamoate" >Pyrantel pamoate</a> – effective against most nematode infections</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levamisole" title="Levamisole" >Levamisole</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praziquantel" title="Praziquantel" >Praziquantel</a> – effective against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestodes" title="Cestodes" class="mw-redirect" >cestodes</a>, some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trematodes" title="Trematodes" class="mw-redirect" >trematodes</a></li>

<li >Octadepsipeptides (e.g.: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emodepside" title="Emodepside" >Emodepside</a>) – effective against a variety of gastrointestinal helminths</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aminoacetonitrile" title="Aminoacetonitrile" >Aminoacetonitrile</a> derivatives (e.g.: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monepantel&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Monepantel (page does not exist)" >Monepantel</a>): effective against a variety of gastrointestinal helminths including those resistant to the other drug classes.</li>

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<h2 >Natural antihelmintics</h2>

Examples of naturally occurring anthelmintics include:

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<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco" title="Tobacco" >Tobacco</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotiana_tabacum" title="Nicotiana tabacum" >Nicotiana tabacum</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotiana_rustica" title="Nicotiana rustica" >Nicotiana rustica</a>)<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera" title="Moringa oleifera" >Moringa oleifera</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringaceae" title="Moringaceae" class="mw-redirect" >Moringaceae</a>)</li>

<li >Neem (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica" title="Azadirachta indica" >Azadirachta indica</a>)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_walnut" title="Black walnut" class="mw-redirect" >Black walnut</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_nigra" title="Juglans nigra" >Juglans nigra</a>)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinth_Wormwood" title="Absinth Wormwood" class="mw-redirect" >wormwood</a> (Artemisia absynthium)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove" title="Clove" >clove</a> (Syzygium aromaticum)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy" title="Tansy" >tansy</a> tea (Tanacetum vulgare)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagenia" title="Hagenia" >Hagenia</a> (Hagenia abyssinica)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic" title="Garlic" >Garlic</a> (Allium sativum)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_Earth" title="Diatomaceous Earth" class="mw-redirect" >Diatomaceous Earth</a> (DE)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple" title="Pineapple" >Pineapple</a> (Ananas comosus)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa" title="Nigella sativa" >kalonji</a> (Nigella sativa) seeds</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_fern" title="Male fern" class="mw-redirect" >male fern</a> (Dryopteris filix-mas)</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda_fistulosa" title="Monarda fistulosa" >Monarda fistulosa</a> (Wild Bergamot) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_note-1" >[2]</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey" title="Honey" >Honey</a> mixed with water and vinegar was also used as a vermifuge.</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria" title="Plumeria" >Plumeria</a> (P. acutifolia or P. rubra) in Brazilian folk medicine.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_note-arnold-2" >[3]</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peganum_harmala" title="Peganum harmala" class="mw-redirect" >Peganum harmala</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_note-alpine-3" >[4]</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banisteriopsis_caapi" title="Banisteriopsis caapi" >Banisteriopsis caapi</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genistein" title="Genistein" >genistein</a> (from soy and other legumes)</li>

<li >Anthelmintic resistance</li>

</ul>

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.[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify" >clarification needed</a>]

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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_resistance" title="Drug resistance" >drug resistance</a>.

<h2 >References</h2>

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<td class="mbox-text" >This article includes a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources" >list of references</a>, related reading or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:External_links" title="Wikipedia:External links" >external links</a>, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Inline_citations" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources" >inline citations</a>. Please <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Fact_and_Reference_Check" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Fact and Reference Check" >improve</a> this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2009)</td>

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<h3 >Footnotes</h3>

<li id="cite_note-0" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_ref-0" >^{</a> <i}>The Merck Index, 12th Ed., page 1119: entry 6611 Nicotine, Merck & Co. 1996</li>

<li id="cite_note-1" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_ref-1" >^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/l234727744k04771/" >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.</a></li>

<li id="cite_note-arnold-2" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_ref-arnold_2-0" >^{</a> Arnold}, M.D., Harry L. (1968). Poisonous Plants of Hawaii. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co.. pp. 51. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" >ISBN</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0804804745" title="Special:BookSources/0804804745" >0804804745</a>.</li>

<li id="cite_note-alpine-3" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthelmintic#cite_ref-alpine_3-0" >^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sdpi.org/alpine%20medicianl%20herbs/39.htm" >"Peganum harmala"</a>. 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-02.</li>

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<h3 >General references</h3>

<ul >

<li >Department of the Army Headquarters (2004). U.S. Army Survival Manual Fm 21-76. Barns & Noble Inc. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number" title="International Standard Book Number" >ISBN</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7607-4988-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-7607-4988-4" >0-7607-4988-4</a>.</li>

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