praziquantel
/ˌpɹæzɪˈkwæntɛl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.54 in modern English
32
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An anthelmintic medication used to treat a number of types of parasitic worm infections, including clonorchiasis, cysticercosis, opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis, and tapeworm infections.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Praziquantel, (2-cyclohexylcarbonyl)-1,2,3,6,7,11b-hexa-hydro-2H pyrazino[2,1a]isoquinolin-4-one, belongs to a new series of antischistosomal compounds. The results of a detailed study of the efficacy of praziquantel on Schistosoma mansoni in mice, Mastomys and Syrian hamsters are described."
- "In the case of schistosomiasis, […] the techniques of molecular biology are being used to seek vaccines, and praziquantel has transformed therapy."
- "The drug praziquantel, which costs only 32 cents per child, would prevent schistosomiasis, a worm disease that starts as a urinary tract infection but, untreated, can lead to female genital sores that make it easier for H.I.V. to enter."
Etymology
p(y)razi(ne) + qu(inoline) + -antel (“anthelmintic”). The drug was developed by the German pharmaceutical companies Bayer and Merck in the mid-1970s. The name is established as the drug’s international nonproprietary name.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌpɹæzɪˈkwæntɛl/
- British English: /ˌpɹæzɪˈkwæntɛl/