The effect of artemether, an antimalarial drug developed from the plant Artemesia annua, has been tested against the larval stages of Schistosoma mansoni covering the time from skin penetration to the early adult liver-stage. The results show that the experimental animals used (hamster and mice) do not develop schistosomiasis mansoni if treated with artemether during the first month after infection. The parasite was found to be especially susceptible between the 3^rd and 4^th week after infection, resulting in worm reductions of 75.3-82.0% compared to non-treated controls. This level was boosted to 97.2-100% when the animals were subjected to various schedules of repeated treatment. Almost complete protection was also reached in parallel experiments with repeated infections carried out to mirror more closely the real situation of trickle infection.

M. Tanner, Swiss Tropical Institute, Socinstrasse 57, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland AUTHOR EMAIL: marcel.tanner@unibas.ch
Parasitology International (PARASITOL.INT) (Ireland) 03 MAR 2000, 49/1 (19-24)MANUFACTURER NAMES: Kunming/China

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