Acanthocephalacidal Drugs

General Information

The large to medium-sized acanthocephalans are thorny (spiny)-headed worms with an elongated proboscis armed with recurved hooks parasitizing the digestive tract of a wide range of vertebrate animals throughout the world, and occasionally found in humans. They have been placed in their own phylum since their affinities to other parasites are not well defined. The sexes are separate, males being much smaller than females. The life cycle of acanthocephalans infecting mammals involves intermediate hosts. There are a number of genera in the dung beetle family Scarabaeidae and cockroaches containing the infective stage of worm ( Cystacanth, which is really a young adult) or vertebrates, which act as paratenic hosts (e.g., mice, and frogs) harboring re-encysted cystacanths. No acanthocephalans are primarily human parasites.

Two species of these worms may infrequently infect humans more often than others. One species is Moniliformis moniliformis , which commonly...