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Parasitic diseases afflict more
than 2 billion people worldwide and are among the leading causes of
death and chronic morbidity in resource-limited countries. Because
parasites collectively represent a wide array of species, effective
therapy of infections caused by these evolutionarily distinct eukaryotes
requires an equally diverse armamentarium of pharmacologic agents.
The past decade has seen a renewed commitment to antiparasitic drug
development, spearheaded by novel public-private partnerships and
supported by international philanthropic organizations, a commitment
that may ultimately yield new agents for these globally important
diseases.1-3 Equally encouraging is the recent
recognition that integrated control of multiple tropical diseases can
be achieved through periodic administration of inexpensive, orally
available medicines to at-risk individuals living in endemic communities.4,5
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Table 323-1 lists the major parasitic
species that cause disease in humans along with the currently recommended
drugs and doses used for therapy or prevention.6 Antimalarial
therapy is discussed in Chapter 352, and detailed
in Tables 352-2, 352-3, and 352-4.
Below are brief descriptions of these agents, including common side effects
and toxicities. More specific information is available in the chapters
on each pathogen.
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