Fexinidazole and Corallopyronin A target <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected sheath cells present in filarial nematodes.

ABSTRACT: The discovery of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia as an obligate symbiont of filarial nematodes has led to antibiotic-based treatments for filarial diseases. While lab and clinical studies have yielded promising results, recent animal studies reveal that Wolbachia levels may rebound following treatment with suboptimal doses of the antibiotic rifampicin. Previous work showed that a likely source of the bacterial rebound in females were dense clusters of Wolbachia in ovarian tissue. The number, size, and density of these Wolbachia clusters were not diminished despite antibiotic treatment. Here we define the cellular characteristics of the Wolbachia clusters in Brugia pahangi (wBp) and identify drugs that also target them. We have evidence that th

SUBMITTER: Chappell L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11785234 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature