Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0017536 (giardiasis)
 1,714 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Many different infections with protozoan and helminthic parasites are common global health problems. Several protozoa are responsible for opportunistic infections in patients with AIDS. The newly developed drug, albendazole, has a strong activity against many nematode and cestode parasites. In the case of echinococcosis, it reduces the viability of protoscolices and cysts. Its hepatic metabolite, albendazole sulfoxide, is active against the larval cestodes. In the case of neurocysticercosis, administration of either the standard treatment, praziquantel, or the newly developed drug, albendazole, reduces or eliminates tapeworm cysts in 80-90% of patients. Patients with numerous cysts and those in whom neurologic symptoms or intracranial hypertension develops after therapy against cysticerci should receive adjunctive therapy with dexamethasone. Mass chemotherapy with single doses of albendazole or the older drug, mebendazole, is feasible for school-age children to treat the soil-transmitted helminthiases (ascariasis, hook-worm infection, and trichuriasis). The newly developed drug, ivermectin, is more effective against chronic strongyloidiasis than albendazole. It has been used most extensively against river blindness. It greatly reduces the number of microfilariae in the skin and eyes but has no effect on sclerosing keratitis or chorioretinitis. Both drugs are available in the US on a compassionate-use basis from their manufacturers. Field trials show that ivermectin is also effective against lymphatic filariasis and Mansonella ozzardi. Praziquantel is effective against many trematode and cestode infections. It is the drug of choice for schistosomiasis. Albendazole was effective against giardiasis in children in Bangladesh but ineffective in adult travelers returning from tropical areas. It appears to effect symptomatic improvement of intestinal microsporidial infections in patients with AIDS. The newly developed drug, fumagillin, can ameliorate ocular microsporidiosis. The newly developed drug, paromycin, treats cryptosporidiosis. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treats cyclosporiasis and isosporiasis.
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PMID:Antiparasitic drugs. 860 86

Like antibacterial agents, antiparasite drugs for pregnant women and children must be chosen in function of the stage of pregnancy, age of the child, and expected benefit-risk ratio. While no agent is totally safe, there are few absolute contraindications. Most zones of serious endemic parasite disease are located in developing countries where parasite, bacterial, or viral conditions combined with poor nutrition treatment make it necessary to treat disease in a complex pathogenic environment that weakens pregnant women and children with multiple parasite infections. In both temperate and tropical zones, there have been few real therapeutic advances involving release of new products on the market or development of new indications for existing products. Constant appearance and extension of hematozoa resistance to conventional and even more recent antimalarial agents have prompted research to find new active drugs and long-lasting treatment combinations. Real therapeutic breakthroughs have resulted from the need to develop safe drugs without substantial side-effects for single-dose use in control programs against endemic parasite diseases in mass populations including pregnant women and young children in tropical zones. There are several notable examples in the field of major verminous diseases. Ivermectin is a versatile drug that can be used against filariasis as well as for management of intestinal worms or ectoparasitosis in temperate and tropical countries. Praziquantel is an important advance in platyhelminthiasis, especially bilharziais. Triclabendazole, the latest addition to the benzimidazole family, has shown promise as a substitute for bithionol, that is difficult to procure and not recommended in pregnant women, for treatment distomiasis occurring in pregnant women and children. Other examples include albendazole against giardiasis, nitazoxamide against cryptosporidiosis, artemisinine against bilharziasis, and paramomycine, not recommended in pregnant women, against leishmaniasis.
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PMID:[Antiparasitic treatments in pregnant women and in children in 2003]. 1476 5