Diethylcarbamazine is an anthelmintic

Anthelmintic

Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body, by either stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges or vermicides .-Pharmaceutical classes:...

 drug

Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...

 that does not resemble other antiparasitic compounds. It is a synthetic organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 which is highly specific for several parasites and does not contain any toxic metallic elements.

Uses

DEC is indicated for treatment of individual patients with certain filaria

Filariasis

Filariasis is a parasitic disease and is considered an infectious tropical disease, that is caused by thread-like nematodes belonging to the superfamily Filarioidea, also known as "filariae"....

l disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

s. These diseases include: lymphatic filariasis caused by infection

Infection

An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...

 with Wuchereria bancrofti

Wuchereria bancrofti

Filaria, is a parasitic filarial nematode spread by a mosquito vector. It is one of the three parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis, an infection of the lymphatic system by filarial worms. It affects over 120 million people, primarily in Africa, South America, and other tropical and...

, Brugia malayi

Brugia malayi

Brugia malayi is a nematode , one of the three causative agents of lymphatic filariasis in humans. Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a condition characterized by swelling of the lower limbs. The two other filarial causes of lymphatic filariasis are Wuchereria bancrofti and...

, or Brugia timori

Brugia timori

Brugia timori is a human filarial parasitic nematode which causes the disease "Timor filariasis." While this disease was first described in 1965, the identity of Brugia timori as the causative agent was not known until 1977...

; tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, and loiasis.

In cases of onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis , also known as river blindness and Robles' disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode . Onchocerciasis is the world's second-leading infectious cause of blindness. It is not the nematode, but its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, that...

, another common filarial parasite, the drug is not used. This is because of the intense and unbearable itching associated with the dead subcutaneous parasites.

DEC continues to be the mainstay for treatment of patients with lymphatic filariasis and loiasis. DEC is also used in the prevention of dog heartworm

Heartworm

Heartworm is a parasitic roundworm that is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoes. The heartworm is a type of filaria, a small thread-like worm. The definitive host is the dog but it can also infect cats, wolves, coyotes, foxes and other animals, such as ferrets, sea lions and...

 Dirofilaria immitis.

Mechanism

DEC is an inhibitor of arachidonic acid

Arachidonic acid

Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid 20:4.It is the counterpart to the saturated arachidic acid found in peanut oil, Arachidonic acid (AA, sometimes ARA) is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid 20:4(ω-6).It is the counterpart to the saturated arachidic acid found in peanut oil,...

metabolism in filarial microfilaria. This makes the microfilaria more susceptible to immune attack.

Trade names

• Hetrazan
• Carbilazine
• Caricide
• Cypip
• Ethodryl
• Notézine
• Spatonin
• Filaribits
• Banocide Forte