Veterinary Anthelmintics and Anthelmintic Drug Resistance

Abstract

Helminths are a diverse group of parasitic worms in the body of animals andhuman. Infection of livestock with parasitic worms poses a great burden on thehealth of animals that eventually leads to great losses in the productivity of theseanimals and economic losses to the farmers. The control of helminthiasis isdependent almost solely on the use of anthelmintic drugs, due to the ease ofimplementation and low cost of therapy, compared to other methods of control.However, chemotherapy of parasitic worms is burdened with such problems as thedevelopment of anthelmintic resistance (AR). Many of the currently availableanthelmintic drugs have been in use for quite a long time and reports exhibiting thedevelopment of AR against them are increasing.Improving livestock management and, hence, productivity is a requirement in orderto compensate for the increasing world population, which will eventually lead toincreased demands for animal products. The tackling of AR needs to implementsuch methods as: (i) the systematic use of the currently available drugs, (ii) controlof animal pasture, (iii) promoting the breeding of animals that are naturallyresistant to certain types of helminths and (iv) development of new anthelminticdrugs by the pharmaceutical industry that have novel modes of action. Althougheach of these methods plays a part in the control program, chemotherapy willremain the cornerstone in the control program of helminth infections. Hence, thecontinuous supply of new antiparasitic compounds to the currently availableanthelmintic pool is the best strategy to be implemented in the fight againsthelminth infections.