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The Parasitic Protozoa and Helminth Worms
Published in Julius P. Kreier, Infection, Resistance, and Immunity, 2022
Human filariasis is caused by infections with several species of nematode worms, the females of which produce larvae that are released in the body of the host, often in the blood, until taken up by an arthropod vector. The most important manifestations are lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. In lymphatic filariasis, caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori and transmitted by mosquitoes, the adults live in the lymphatics, and the disease is characterized by lymphatic blockage resulting in swelling of the limbs, scrotum and other parts of the body causing the condition known as elephantiasis. In onchocerciasis, caused by Onchocerca volvulus and transmitted by blackflies belonging to the genus Simulium, the adults live in skin nodules, and the disease is characterized by blindness.
Tropical infections and infestations
Published in Professor Sir Norman Williams, Professor P. Ronan O’Connell, Professor Andrew W. McCaskie, Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 2018
Professor Sir Norman Williams, Professor P. Ronan O’Connell, Professor Andrew W. McCaskie
Filariasis is mainly caused by the parasite Wuchereria bancrofti carried by the mosquito. Variants of the parasite called Brugia malayi and Brugia timori are responsible for causing the disease in about 10% of those infected. The condition affects more than 120 million people worldwide, two-thirds of whom live in India, China and Indonesia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), after leprosy, filariasis is the most common cause of long-term disability.
Antiparasitic, Insecticidal, and Larvicidal Activities of Seaweeds and their Extracts
Published in Leonel Pereira, Therapeutic and Nutritional Uses of Algae, 2018
Eight known filarial nematodes use humans as their definitive hosts. These are divided into three groups according to the niche they occupy in the body—Lymphatic filariasis is caused by the worms Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori.These worms occupy the lymphatic system, including the lymph nodes; in chronic cases, these worms lead to the syndrome of elephantiasis;Subcutaneous filariasis is caused by Loa loa (the eye worm),Mansonella streptocerca, and Onchocerca volvulus. These worms occupy the subcutaneous layer of the skin, in the fat layer. L. loa causes Loa loa filariasis, while O. volvulus causes river blindness;Serous cavity filariasis is caused by the worms Mansonella perstans and Mansonella ozzardi, which occupy the serous cavity of the abdomen.
Deciphering the anti-filarial potential of bioactive compounds from Ocimum sanctum: a combined experimental and computational study
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
Ayushi Mishra, Vipin Kumar, Anchal Singh
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a major health concern of tropical and sub-tropical countries. The disease is caused by three nematode worms: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. Presently 893 million people in 49 countries are living at the risk of LF (Cromwell et al. 2020). The World Health Organisation (WHO) sponsored the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) and recommends Triple Drug Therapy to block the transmission of Lymphatic Filariasis. The triple drug therapy comprises drugs ivermectin (IVM), diethylcarbamazine (DEC), and albendazole which have to be administered to the entire population living in endemic areas. These drugs are effective only on the larval stages and are completely ineffective on adult worms (Wadhawan et al. 2014). Several adverse effects are associated with anti-filarial drugs which include fever, headache, myalgia, fatigue, hypertension, vomiting, cough, seizures, vision problems, etc. (Behera and Bhatnagar 2018). Hence, there is an urgent need to find anti-filarial drugs with adulticidal activity and minimal side effects.
Lymphatic filariasis vaccine development: neglected for how long?
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2021
Vivek P Chavda, Anjali Pandya, Sreeranjini Pulakkat, Moinuddin Soniwala, Vandana Patravale
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease that causes the damage of the lymphatic system and can lead to lymphoedema (elephantiasis) and hydrocele (excess fluid inside the human scrotal sac) in infected individuals’ [1]. The filarial parasites that cause this infection are carried by mosquitoes. Invasion from parasitic nematodes (roundworms or helminths) of the family Filariodidea, such as Wuchereria bancrofti (W.bancrofti), Brugia malayi (B.malayi), or Brugia timori, causes the disease [2,3]. LF affects the lymphatic system and can cause abnormal growth of bodily parts, resulting in discomfort, physical disability, and social stigma. More than 198 million people were infected globally in 2000, approximately 130 million people in 2014, while the 2018 projection of approximately 51 million infected people indicates the progress made thus far toward the eradication of LF as a public health burden due to implementation of chemotherapy in 2000 [4]. LF continues to endanger 859 million people in 50 countries all over the world, necessitating preventative treatment to halt the spread of such a parasitic disease. The annual benchmark estimation of LF patients suggests 25 million males having hydrocele and over 15 million persons with lymphedema. At least 40 million individuals continue to suffer from these chronic illness symptoms [5]. Preventing LF could help to reduce possible suffering and stigma among the vulnerable underprivileged population.
Helminths, hosts, and their microbiota: new avenues for managing gastrointestinal helminthiases in ruminants
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2020
Alba Cortés, James Rooney, Dave J. Bartley, Alasdair J. Nisbet, Cinzia Cantacessi
Together with increasing evidence of a fundamental role of the host gut flora in mechanisms of worm infection and establishment [9,10], several studies are beginning to elucidate the relative contribution of a ‘parasite microbiome’ to several physiological and reproductive processes of worms [60]. Indeed, endosymbionts have long been known to exert key functions in the biology of nematodes causing lymphatic filariasis in humans, i.e. Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. These parasites harbor an obligate alpha-proteobacterial endosymbiont (Wolbachia) that is essential for worm development and survival, likely via the provision of pyrimidines [61]. The discovery that removal of Wolbachia using antibiotics led to effective control of filarial nematodes triggered a number of drug discovery programmes to develop novel, safe, and specific antiwolbachial drugs [62], as well as vaccines targeting Wolbachia antigens (e.g. [63]). One of these molecules, a Recombinase A of Wolbachia from B. malayi (wBmRecA), has shown some promise as a protective antigen against filarial infections; indeed, mice immunized with a recombinant version of wBmRecA and subsequently challenged with B. malayi microfilariae harbored 64.5% fewer infective third-stage (L3) larvae at postmortem examination than mice immunized with adjuvant only [63].