Fexinidazole and Corallopyronin A target Wolbachia-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 revealed that Wolbachia levels rebound following treatment with the antibiotic rifampicin. Previous work revealed that a potential source of the bacterial rebound in female worms 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 target them. We show that the Wolbachia clusters originate from newly formed sheath cells adja

SUBMITTER: Chappell L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12443271 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature