Partners in Neglected Infections

Collaborations between two companies and two Liverpool-based institutes have yielded new compounds targeting bacteria in the genus Wolbachia that could treat onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis faster and help prevent transmission more effectively than available therapies.

Onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) are both caused Brugia malayi and other filarial nematodes that depend on Wolbachia, the parasites' endosymbiont, for survival. Approved therapies such as ivermectin, a generic antiparasitic, target the juvenile forms of the worms but have limited effect on the reproducing adults, making them ineffective at blocking transmission. Doxycycline can limit nematode reproduction by killing the adult worms, but requires a four- to six-week course of treatment and can cause microbiome-related dysbiosis...