Ethopabate is a veterinary drug belonging to the class of antibiotics which contains an arylamide with a phenyl ring, a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a very safe drug used for the prophylaxis and treatment of coccidiosis in chickens. It has anticoccidial activity, especially against the intestinal form, and lacks activity against E. tenella of the cecum worm. The drug is a competitor of PABA, which is absorbed by the parasite and interferes with folate synthesis. It has good activity against E. acervulina and some strains of E. maxima and E. brunette. It is used only in combination with amprolium, first at a concentration of 4 ppm and later at a concentration of 40 ppm.This drug reaches peak activity on day 4 of the cycle.
A supplementary drug that improves the coccidiostatic effect of nicarbazin and amprolium in order to cure coccidiosis in chickens.
ChEBI: Ethopabate is an amidobenzoic acid.
Ethopabate is only a narrow anticoccidial spectrum drug against Eimeria acervulina. It has no or only slight activity against E. maxima, E. necatrix, E. tenella or E. brunetti. Today, ethopabate is applied only in combination with amprolium and sulfonamide.
Ethopabate is a 2-substituted PABA derivative (=4-acetamido-2-ethoxybenzoic acid methylester) and functions as a prodrug. Its activity becomes potentiated by pyrimethamine and antagonised by the simultaneous administration of PABA. Thus, the mode of action of ethopabate is similar to that of sulfonamides or sulfones.
