Wolbachia: Potential Targets for Control of Filariasis

Filarial nematodes are globally distributed parasites of humans and animals causing several important diseases. The global burden of filariasis in alarming. The breakthrough in the filarial research is the discovery that Wolbachia plays an important role in the biology of filarial nematodes. Long co-evolution of a host and its symbiont is expected to result in co- adaptation and reciprocal dependence . If the association between filarial nematodes and Wolbachia be considered an obligatory, mutualistic symbiosis, drugs which are known to be effective against Rickettsia-like bacteria, should have detrimental effects on filarial nematodes which harbour Wolbachia, and no effects on filarial nematodes which do not harbor Wolbachia . The results so far obtained agree with the hypothesis that those filarial nematodes which harbour Wolbachia require the presence of this bacterium, at least during some stages of their life cycle. Wolbachia could thus represent a useful target for the control of filariasis and this book deals with targeting Wolbachia for control of filariasis.