Ivermectin is a veterinary antihelminthic drug that is highly effective against a number of arthropod and nematode infestations of vertebrates. It is a chemically modified form of abamectin, which is itself extracted from the fungus Stretomyces avermitilis. Both are mixtures of compounds known as avermectins (Egerton et al., 1979; Campbell et al, 1983; Halley et al., 1989a; Halley et al., 1989b) which affect inhibitory synapses via a mode of action involving glutamate-sensitive chloride channels (Turner and Schaeffer, 1989; Roth et al., 1993; Arena et al, 1995). Efficacy of ivermectin against sea-lice infections in farmed salmonid fish was reported in 1987 (Palmer et al, 1987) and the ability to incorporate the drug into feed presents significant practical advantages (Roth et al., 1993).
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