n. a drug used in the treatment of *onchocerciasis. It acts by killing the immature forms (*microfilariae) of the parasite. Ivermectin is also used to treat creeping eruption, strongyloidiasis, and scabies. Side-effects, which are mild, include itching and swollen lymph nodes.
(larva migrans) a skin disease caused either by larvae of certain nematode worms (e.g. Ancylostoma braziliense) normally parasitic in dogs and cats or by the maggots of certain flies (see Hypoderma; Gasterophilus). The larvae burrow within the skin tissues, their movements marked by long thin red lines that cause the patient intense irritation. The nematode infections are treated with albendazole, ivermectin, or tiabendazole; maggots can be surgically removed.... creeping eruption
n. a tropical disease of the skin and underlying connective tissue caused by the parasitic worm *Onchocerca volvulus. Fibrous nodular tumours grow around the adult worms in the skin; these may take several months to appear, and if secondary bacterial infection occurs they may degenerate into abscesses. The skin also becomes inflamed and itches. The migration of the *microfilariae into the eye can cause total or partial blindness – called river blindness in Africa. Onchocerciasis occurs in Africa and Central and South America. *Ivermectin is used in treatment; if possible, the nodules are removed as and when they appear.... onchocerciasis
(strongyloidosis) n. an infestation of the small intestine with the parasitic nematode worm Strongyloides stercoralis, common in humid tropical regions. Larvae, present in soil contaminated with human faeces, penetrate the skin of a human host and may produce an itching rash. They migrate to the lungs, where they cause tissue destruction and bleeding, and then via the windpipe and gullet to the intestine. Adult worms burrow into the intestinal wall and may cause ulceration, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, anaemia, and weakness. Treatment involves use of ivermectin or albendazole.... strongyloidiasis
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