antihelmintic

1. destructive to parasitic worms; called also antihelmintic and vermifugal.

2. an agent destructive to worms; examples include piperazine and hexylresorcinol for the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides;quinacrine for tapeworms; oxytetracycline and emetine for protozoan infections such as amebic dysentery; and mebendazole for several different intestinal worms. Many anthelmintic drugs are toxic and should be given with care; the toxic effects of a specific drug should be known prior to administration and the patient observed carefully for such effects after the drug is given. Called also vermicide, and vermifuge