Anthelminthic drugs

Piperazines find established use in veterinary medicine as anthelminthic drugs, designed to rid the lower intestinal tract of parasitic worms. 

Since the early 1950s, piperazines have been widely used in veterinary medicine as anthelminthic drugs, which rid the lower intestinal tract of parasitic worms. In humans, diethylcarbamazine and piperazine citrate serve a similar function and are used to treat pinworm and roundworm infestations in adults and children. While... 

Three major groups of helminths (or worms), the nematodes, trema-todes and cestodes, infect humans. As in all antibiotic regimens, the anthelminthic drugs (Figure 36.1) are aimed at metabolic targets that are present in the parasite but are either absent from or have different characteristics than those of the host. Figure 36.2 illustrates the high incidence of helminthic infections. 

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