The use of Caenorhabditis elegans for anthelmintic screening

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans maintained on ampicillin‐treated Escherichia coli has been found to be sensitive to the benzimidazole anthelmintics, albendazole, cambendazole, fenbendazole, flubendazole, mebendazole, oxfendazole, oxibendazole, parbendazole, thiabendazole and the non‐benzimidazoles, avermectin B1 a , bitoscanate, febantel, levamisole, morantel, nitroscanate, oxantel, phenothiazine, pyrantel, pyrvinium pamoate, rafoxanide and stilbazium iodide at concentrations of 50 μg cm −3 or less. It can therefore be used in a high through‐put in vitro pre‐screen for anthelmintics. It is suggested that C. elegans may also be useful for evaluating the mode of action of drugs and the mechanism of resistance of nematodes to anthelmintics.