parasites

An infection occurs when another organism enters a person’s body and causes disease. The organisms that cause infections are very diverse and can include things like viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The immune system is an effective barrier against infectious agents.

MCE provides a unique collection of 2887 anti-infective compounds with anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasite activities that can be used for drug screening and other research in anti-microbial area.

A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites of humans include protozoans, helminths, and ecto-parasites (organisms that live on the external surface of a host). They are responsible for many diseases and are transmitted to their hosts most often through the ingestion of contaminated food, water or through the bite of an arthropod (e.g., a fly or tick), which can act as an intermediate host and as a vector. Parasitic diseases of humans are a major global health problem causing significant morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. Each year there are hundreds of millions of people infected with disease-causing parasites, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, resulting in an estimated one million deaths. Therefore, there is a dire need of novel anti-parasitic drugs.

MCE has a unique collection of 451 compounds with validated anti-parasitic activity which offer researchers an opportunity to screen novel anti-parasitic targets.