Amebicides

What are Amebicides?

Amebicides are agents that destroy or kill amebae. The different amebecides have different modes of action. They are used to eradicate the parasitic species of amebae in animals or humans.

An amebicide is an agent used to treat patients with amebiasis. Amoebiasis is an infection that is caused by the amoeba, or unicellular organisms, of the Entamoeba genus. Antiamebic drugs or amebicides specifically target undestroyed amoeba.

An amebicide agent is a type of drug that is used to treat amebiasis by eradicating the organism in the bowel lumen and tissues. These agents can be luminal, systemic, or mixed, targeting different forms of the parasite in the body.

Metronidazole, or a related drug such as tinidazole, secnidazole or ornidazole, is used to destroy amoebae that have invaded tissue. These are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to the site of infection.

Systemic amebicides like metronidazole, tinidazole, and emetine (discontinued in USA) have therapeutic use in managing extraintestinal diseases such as hepatic abscesses; chloroquine is an adjunct therapy to emetine for the management of hepatic abscesses. Metronidazole and tinidazole also serve as mixed amoebicides.

Antiamoebic refers to substances or agents that are highly potent in treating protozoan infections like amebiasis by targeting the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, with the aim of preventing the associated health risks and fatalities.