Chemotherapy Of Tropical Parasitic Infections

Parasitic infections such as malaria, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis and onchoceriasis are the scourge of the tropical countries. Many of the drugs used for the treatment of tropical parasitic infections were introduced more than 30 years ago. Most of these drugs are toxic and have complicated dosage regimens, but, because of the low economic incentive, pharmaceutical companies have shown little interest in developing new drugs to control diseases prevalent in developing countries.; However, there has been notable progress in research into parasitic diseases and a number of important drugs have been introduced for some diseases since the 1970s. Moreover, recent data on the pharmacokinetics and field evaluations of these drugs have revealed that their effectiveness can be improved and their safety increased.; This handbook is designed to provide information about the pharmacological properties and therapeutic uses of the major drugs currently employed to combat the human parasitic infections encountered in the tropics. Each of the 38 drugs covered in the book are presented under the following headings: chemical structure, physical properties, pharmacology and mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, pregnancy and lactation, side effects, contraindications and precautions, dosage, preparations, and references.

"Have a chew of dulie," said Crubog . . . "What is it?" asked Potter, half-suspiciously. "Seaweed. " "Is it good for the virility? . . . " "And what is the virility?" asked the old man. "Does it make you more attractive to women?" Potier shouted in his ear. "No. " "What is it good for then?" "WortnS. " "Worms?" "Intestinal worms. You'll never again pass a worm if you eat a fistful of dulse first thing in the morning and last thing at night. " "If it's an anthelmintic, I'll try a spot of it," said Potter. - From Bogmail, a novel by Patrick McGinley (1981) With modern techniques of chemical isolation and structure determination, the old distinction between herbal and chemical remedies has largely been broken down. By chemotherapy we now mean simply the treatment of disease by drugs (the word medicines has unhappily been eclipsed). The distinction made between chemotherapy and non chemical therapy (e. g. , radiation, physiotherapy, surgical intervention, immu nomodulation) remains useful despite some minor overlapping. The present work thus deals with drugs and their use in parasitic disease. (Since we are dealing with the treatment of incipient as well as established infection, chemotherapy subsumes chem oprophylaxis as well as chemotherapeusis per se. ) Definition of parasitism as a biological modus vivendi, although important in itself, need not concern us here. We need simply delimit the scope of the book, and that is easily done.

Control of parasitic infections of humans has progressed rapidly over the last three decades. Such advances have resulted from focal disease control efforts based on historically effective interventions to new approaches to control following intensive research and pilot programs. Control of Human Parasitic Diseases focuses on the present state of control of the significant human parasitic infectious diseases. Includes the impact of recent research findings on control strategy Discusses the health policy implications of these findings and the importance of evaluation and monitoring Highlights the lessons learned and the interactions between control programs and health systems

The only book devoted entirely to drug development for the treatment of tropical diseases. Presents detailed information about longstanding tropical parasitic diseases, particularly those which are still a serious problem in developing countries. These diseases are associated with unusual and complex immunological changes which, when understood, will shed new light on the ways our natural defense mechanism can be modulated. This knowledge is also of importance in many non-parasitic diseases in the developed world, such as cancer and arthritis. Some of the old, imperfect drugs used to treat these parasitic diseases have led to novel therapies for a range of diseases, including dermatological diseases, arthritis, AIDS, and AIDS-related diseases. The individual reviews are creative and critical, providing stimulating reading for all of those interested in the development of new drugs to treat these diseases.

This specially commissioned text covers a range of topics relating to chemotherapy and the immune system.