Praziquantel - Uses

Uses

Praziquantel is used to treat diseases in humans, mammals, and fish that are caused by infection with several types of internal/ gastrointestinal, and external parasites including the following:

• Salmon poisoning disease
• Hydatid disease caused by infection of various organs with larval stages of tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus
• Cysticercosis caused by infection of the brain and/ or muscles with the eggs and larvae of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium (though it has been judged less effective than albendazole in treatment of neurocysticercosis)
• Feline taeniasis caused in cats by gastrointestinal infection with adult tapeworms of the species Taenia taeniaeformis; used either alone or in combination with pyrantel pamoate
• Toxocariasis in cats and dogs whose gut is infected with the roundworms/ nematodes Toxocara cati or Toxocara canis respectively; use is often combined with pyrantel
• Schistosomiasis caused by trematodes of the genus Schistosoma. As of 2005, praziquantel is the primary treatment for human schistosomiasis, for which it is usually effective in a single dose.
• Clonorchiasis brought on by the Chinese liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis
• Paragonimiasis caused by infection with lung flukes, mostly of the species Paragonimus westermani.
• Fascioliasis ("liver rot") brought on by either Fasciola hepatica (the common liver fluke) or Fasciola gigantica
• Diplozoon paradoxum and other Trematoda infections of many fish species.