Pediatric Pharmacotherapy: Anthelminthic Treatment

Helminths, including nematodes, trematodes, and cestodes, are parasitic worms that infect approximately two billion people worldwide and cause significant morbidity particularly in children. Helminth-induced morbidity is associated with disease burden which typically is greatest in preschool and school-aged children. Preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration programs has been instituted globally to reduce worm burden and morbidity in children through administration of anthelminthic therapy at regular intervals in helminth endemic areas. Despite these interventions, elimination of these infections remains elusive due to high rates of reinfection and concern for emerging anthelminthic resistance. Although children harbor the greatest burden of disease, minimal pharmacokinetic, safety, and tolerability data is available for young children, limiting their use. Novel anthelminthic therapies are critically needed to combat helminth disease with particular attention paid toward medications that can be used in young children to reduce global helminth-induced morbidity.