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Tamarozzi, Francesca, Halliday, Alice, Gentil, Katrin, Hoerauf, Achim, Pearlman, Eric and Taylor, Mark 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3396-9275
(2011)
'Onchocerciasis: the role of Wolbachia bacterial endosymbionts in parasite biology, disease pathogenesis, and treatment.'. Clinical microbiology reviews, Vol 24, Issue 3, pp. 459-68.
Abstract
The discovery of Wolbachia intracellular bacteria within filarial nematodes, including Onchocerca volvulus, the causative agent of onchocerciasis or "river blindness," has delivered a paradigm shift in our understanding of the parasite's biology, to where we now know that the bacterial endosymbionts are essential for normal development of larvae and embryos and may support the long-term survival of adult worms. The apparent mutualistic dependency has also offered a novel approach to the treatment of onchocerciasis through the use of antibiotics to eliminate Wolbachia, delivering for the first time a treatment which has significant macrofilaricidal efficacy. Studies with other filarial nematode species have also highlighted a role for Wolbachia in transmission and infection of the mammalian host through a fascinating manipulation of mast cell-mediated vasodilation to enhance infectivity of vector-borne larvae. Wolbachia has also been identified as the principal driver of innate and adaptive Th1 inflammatory immunity, which can either contribute to disease pathogenesis or, with the Wolbachia-mediated recruitment of mast cells, enhance infectivity. The Wolbachia activation of innate inflammation also drives inflammatory adverse events in response to chemotherapy with either diethylcarbamazine (DEC) or ivermectin. In this review we summarize the experimental and field trial data which have uncovered the importance of Wolbachia symbiosis in onchocerciasis.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | QW Microbiology and Immunology > QW 50 Bacteria (General). Bacteriology. Archaea WC Communicable Diseases > Rickettsiaceae Infections. Chlamydiaceae Infections > WC 600 Rickettsiaceae infections. Chlamydiaceae infections. Tick-borne diseases WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 885 Onchocerciasis |
| Digital Object Identifer (DOI): | https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00057-10 |
| Depositing User: | Mary Creegan |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Nov 2011 16:34 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jul 2023 05:05 |
| URI: | https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/2445 |
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