Host environment shapes filarial parasite fitness and Wolbachia endosymbionts dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Filarial nematodes, responsible for diseases like lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, depend on symbiotic Wolbachia bacteria for reproduction and development. Using the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model, we investigated how host type-2 immunity influences Wolbachia dynamics and parasite development. Wild-type and type-2 immune-deficient (Il4rα⁻/⁻Il5⁻/⁻) BALB/c mice were infected with L. sigmodontis, and the distribution and abundance of Wolbachia were analyzed at different developmental stages using quantitative PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Our results show that type-2 immune environments selectively reduce germline Wolbachia in female filariae from wild-type mice, a change associated with disrupted oogenesis, embryogenesis, and microfilarial production, while somat

SUBMITTER: Fercoq F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12270307 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature