Drugs that target early stages of Onchocerca volvulus: A revisited means to facilitate the elimination goals for onchocerciasis.

ABSTRACT: Several issues have been identified with the current programs for the elimination of onchocerciasis that target only transmission by using mass drug administration (MDA) of the drug ivermectin. Alternative and/or complementary treatment regimens as part of a more comprehensive strategy to eliminate onchocerciasis are needed. We posit that the addition of "prophylactic" drugs or therapeutic drugs that can be utilized in a prophylactic strategy to the toolbox of present microfilaricidal drugs and/or future macrofilaricidal treatment regimens will not only improve the chances of meeting the elimination goals but may hasten the time to elimination and also will support achieving a sustained elimination of onchocerciasis. These "prophylactic" drugs will target the infective third- (L3) and four

SUBMITTER: Jawahar S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7891776 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature