title: Praziquantel: a major advance in anthelminthic therapy.
abstract: Praziquantel recently has been approved in the United States for use against a broad range of trematodes and cestodes. The drug is highly effective against all Schistosoma species that infect humans as well as other flukes and tapeworms, including the larval stage of Taenia solium, which causes cysticercosis. In addition, praziquantel is relatively nontoxic, well accepted by patients, and can be given orally in one dose or several doses in a single day. Praziquantel lowers or abolishes the threshold for treating persons with these infections, and, if costs can be contained, may help in the global control of serious systemic helminthic infections.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D004285:Dogs; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012756:Sheep; D013552:Swine; D014201:Trematode Infections / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D007546:Isoquinolines; D011223:Praziquantel