Development of a preliminary in vitro drug screening assay based on a newly established culturing system for pre-adult fifth-stage Onchocerca volvulus worms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The human filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus is the causative agent of onchocerciasis (river blindness). It causes blindness in 270,000 individuals with an additional 6.5 million suffering from severe skin pathologies. Current international control programs focus on the reduction of microfilaridermia by annually administering ivermectin for more than 20 years with the ultimate goal of blocking of transmission. The adult worms of O. volvulus can live within nodules for over 15 years and actively release microfilariae for the majority of their lifespan. Therefore, protracted treatment courses of ivermectin are required to block transmission and eventually eliminate the disease. To shorten the time to elimination of this disease, drugs that successfully target macrofilar

SUBMITTER: Voronin D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6353222 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature