Anthelmintics Health Dictionary

See ANTHELMINTICS.... antihelminthic

Ascariasis is the disease produced by infestation with the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides, also known as the maw-worm. Super?cially it resembles a large earthworm: the male measures about 17 cm (7 inches) and the female 23 cm (9 inches) in length. Ascariasis is a dirt disease, most prevalent where sanitation and cleanliness are lacking, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. Consumption of food contaminated by the ova (eggs), especially salad vegetables, is the commonest cause of infection. In children, infection is commonly acquired by crawling or playing on contaminated earth, and then sucking their ?ngers. After a complicated life-cycle in the body the adult worms end up in the intestines, whence they may be passed in the stools. A light infection may cause no symptoms. A heavy infection may lead to colic, or even obstruction of the gut. Occasionally a worm may wander into the stomach and be vomited up.

Treatment Mebendazole is the drug of choice in the UK, being given as a single dose. It should be combined with hygienic measures to break the cycle of autoinfection. All members of the family require treatment. Other ANTHELMINTICS include piperazine and pyrantel.... ascariasis

An anthelmintic drug (see ANTHELMINTICS) used to treat threadworms (see ENTEROBIASIS). It is the drug of choice, except for in children aged two years or younger. A single dose is usually e?ective, but reinfection is common and a second treatment may be given after three weeks.... mebendazole

A widely used anthelmintic drug (see ANTHELMINTICS) for treating TAENIASIS or tapeworm infection.... niclosamide

Artemisia abrotanum. N.O. Compositae.

Synonym: Old Man, Lad's Love.

Habitat: The plant is frequently seen in gardens, where it is cultivated for its delicate, graceful appearance and pleasant, characteristic scent. It also grows wild on sandy heaths.

Features ? Two feet stems are at first prostrate, but become erect after producing, in August, small yellow flowers in terminal leafy clusters. The greyish-green, very slender leaves, are divided into many linear segments.

Action: Emmenagogue, stimulant, antiseptic and detergent.

Southernwood is mainly employed in menstrual obstruction, frequently in combination with Mugwort and Pennyroyal. Wineglass doses are taken of the infusion of 1 ounce of the herb to 1 pint of boiling water. The powdered herb is sometimes given in teaspoonful or smaller doses to children suffering from worms, but such agents as Tansy and Wormwood are perhaps more effective as anthelmintics.... southernwood

Another term for ANTHELMINTICS.

ANTI-PERIODICS. Remedies that prevent the return of a disease that tends to recur (malaria). Peruvian bark, Ash Tree (Fraxinus excelsior). ... anti-parasitics

1. n. any drug or chemical agent used to destroy parasitic worms (helminths), e.g. tapeworms, roundworms, and flukes, and/or remove them from the body. Anthelmintics include *albendazole, *mebendazole, *niclosamide, and *praziquantel. 2. adj. having the power to destroy or eliminate helminths.... anthelmintic

n. a tropical disease caused by the parasitic nematode Dracunculus medinensis (see guinea worm) in the tissues beneath the skin. The disease is transmitted to humans via contaminated drinking water. The initial symptoms, which appear a year after infection, result from the migration of the worm to the skin surface and include itching, giddiness, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Later a large blister forms on the skin, usually on the legs or arms, which eventually bursts and may ulcerate and become infected. Dracontiasis is common in India and West Africa but also occurs in Arabia, Iran, East Africa, and Afghanistan. Treatment involves extracting the worm or administering anthelmintics.... dracontiasis

n. an infestation of the bile ducts and liver with the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica. Humans acquire the infection through eating wild watercress on which the larval stages of the parasite are present. The symptoms include fever, dyspepsia, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and coughing; the liver may also be extensively damaged (causing liver rot). Anthelmintics are used in the treatment of fascioliasis.... fascioliasis

n. one of a group of chemically related antifungal drugs that are also effective against a wide range of bacteria; some (e.g. *tiabendazole and *mebendazole) are also used as anthelmintics. The group includes *econazole, *clotrimazole, *ketoconazole, and *miconazole.... imidazole

n. a genus of parasitic nematodes occurring in Brazil, Africa, and Indonesia. It is a rare intestinal parasite of humans, producing symptoms of dysentery in cases of heavy infection. The worms may also invade the tissues of the gut wall, giving rise to abscesses. The worms can be eliminated with anthelmintics.... oesophagostomum

n. an infestation with tapeworms of the genus *Taenia. Humans become infected with the adult worms following ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing the larval stage of the parasite. The presence of a worm in the intestine may occasionally give rise to increased appetite, hunger pains, weakness, and weight loss. Worms are expelled from the intestine using various anthelmintics, including *niclosamide. See also cysticercosis.... taeniasis

(trichiniasis) n. a disease of cold and temperate regions caused by the larvae of the nematode worm *Trichinella spiralis. Humans contract trichinosis after eating imperfectly cooked meat infected with the parasite’s larval cysts. Larvae, released by females in the intestine, penetrate the intestinal wall and cause diarrhoea and nausea. They migrate around the body and may cause fever, vertigo, delirium, and pains in the limbs. The larvae eventually settle within cysts in the muscles, and this may result in pain and stiffness. The intestinal phase of the disease is treated with anthelmintics.... trichinosis

n. a genus of small widely distributed parasitic tapeworms. The dwarf tapeworm, H. nana, only 40 mm in length, lives in the human intestine. Fleas can be important vectors of this species, and children in close contact with flea-infested dogs are particularly prone to infection. H. diminuta is a common parasite of rodents; humans occasionally become infected on swallowing stored cereals contaminated with insect pests – the intermediate hosts for this parasite. Symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, and headache are obvious only in heavy infections of either species. Treatment involves a course of *anthelmintics.... hymenolepis