Antiparasitic

Antiparasitics are a class of medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases, such as those caused by helminths,[1] amoeba,[2] ectoparasites, parasitic fungi,[3] and protozoa,[1] among others. Antiparasitics target the parasitic agents of the infections by destroying them or inhibiting their growth;[4] they are usually effective against a limited number of parasites within a particular class. Antiparasitics are one of the antimicrobial drugs which include antibiotics that target bacteria, and antifungals that target fungi. They may be administered orally, intravenously or topically.[4] Overuse or misuse of antiparasitics can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Broad-Spectrum antiparasitics, analogous to broad-spectrum antibiotics for bacteria, are antiparasitic drugs with efficacy in treating a wide range of parasitic infections caused by parasites from different classes.

  1. ^ a b Kappagoda, Shanthi; Singh, Upinder; Blackburn, Brian G. (2011). "Antiparasitic Therapy". Mayo Clin. Proc. 86 (6): 561–583. doi:10.4065/mcp.2011.0203. PMC 3104918. PMID 21628620.
  2. ^ Kusrini E, Hashim F, Azmi WN, Amin NM, Estuningtyas A (2016). "A novel antiamoebic agent against Acanthamoeba sp. – A causative agent for eye keratitis infection". Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular Spectroscopy. 153: 714–21. Bibcode:2016AcSpA.153..714K. doi:10.1016/j.saa.2015.09.021. PMID 26474244.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmid12075057 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "ANTIPARASITICS". Purdue University Cytology Laboratories. Purdue Research Foundation. Retrieved 2015-08-30.