anthelmintic /ant′helmin″tik/ [Gk, anti + helmins, against worms] , 1. pertaining to a substance that destroys or prevents the development of parasitic worms, such as filariae, flukes, hookworms, pinworms, roundworms, schistosomes, tapeworms, trichinae, and whipworms. 2. an anthelmintic drug. An anthelmintic may interfere with the parasites’ carbohydrate metabolism, inhibit their respiratory enzymes, block their neuromuscular action, or render them susceptible to destruction by the host’s macrophages. Drugs used in treating specific helmintic infections include piperazine, pyrantel pamoate, pyrvinium pamoate, mebendazole, niclosamide, hexylresorcinol, diethylcarbamazine, and thiabendazole.
