Nematodes of the genus Ascaris are large gastrointestinal parasites. Ascaris lumbricoides infects ~1 billion people globally; causing malnutrition and general morbidity, and can block the gut or bile duct causing fatal complications. Ascaris suum is a parasite of pigs; in addition to its veterinary significance, it can occasionally be zoonotic, and is a good model of the human parasite. One of the main classes of drugs used to treat parasitic nematode infections are the cholinergic anthelmintics, such as levamisole and pyrantel, which act as agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at the nematode neuromuscular junction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:501371 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Williamson, Sally |
| Contributors | Wolstenholme, Adrian |
| Publisher | University of Bath |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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