Research on the Epidemiology and Transmission of Filarial Diseases

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2024 | Viewed by 2413

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
Interests: antibiotics; novel antibiotics; Mansonella perstans; tropical diseases; infection

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana
Interests: medical parasitology immunology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Filariasis is a group of parasitic diseases caused by infection with the filarial nematodes. These parasites are found in subtropical rural areas of South Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, and parts of South America, and include Mansonella ozzardi, M. perstans, Onchocerca volvulus, Wuchereria bancrofti and others. There are also zoonotic species such as Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens, which may be transmitted erroneously to humans. 

At present, the NTD control community (scientists, pharma) need to develop new treatment methods to solve the dilemma of slowing process in the control of filariasis. Therefore, further studies on the transmission and epidemiology of filariasis are particularly urgent.

This special issue includes but is not limited to the following topics:

  1. New methods of epidemiological diagnosis and research of filariasis 
  2. Transmission dynamics of filariasis and control interventions 
  3. New therapies to treat or control the transmission of filariasis

Prof. Dr. Achim M. Hörauf
Prof. Dr. Alexander Yaw Debrah
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • filarial disease
  • epidemiology
  • transmission
  • parasitic diseases
  • filariasis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1539 KiB  
Article
Culicoides Species of the Rain Forest Belt of the Littoral Region of Cameroon: Their Incrimination in the Transmission of Mansonella perstans
by Rene Ebai, Chi Anizette Kien, Fanny Fri Fombad, Frederick Esofi, Emmanuel Ouam, Anna Ning Ntuh, Glory Ngongeh Amambo, Victor Narcisse Tchamatchoua Gandjui, Valerine Chawa Chunda, Franck Nietcho, Lucy Cho Nchang, Chefor Magha, Jerome Fru Cho, Mathias Eyong Esum, Peter Ivo Enyong, Kenneth Pfarr, Achim Hoerauf, Manuel Ritter and Samuel Wanji
Pathogens 2024, 13(2), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13020146 - 06 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 884
Abstract
Biting midges belonging to the genus Culicoides are tiny stout-shaped hematophagous insects and are thought to transmit the filarial nematode Mansonella perstans. Little is known about the Culicoides fauna in the rain forest belt of the Littoral Region of Cameroon. This study [...] Read more.
Biting midges belonging to the genus Culicoides are tiny stout-shaped hematophagous insects and are thought to transmit the filarial nematode Mansonella perstans. Little is known about the Culicoides fauna in the rain forest belt of the Littoral Region of Cameroon. This study was designed to investigate the diversity, abundance and distribution of Culicoides spp. and their role as the purported vector(s) of M. perstans. Overnight light trap collections and human landing catches (HLCs) revealed eight species of Culicoides with C. grahamii being the most abundant species followed by C. milnei. Four anthropophilic species (C. inornatipennis, C. grahamii, C. fulvithorax and C. milnei) were determined by the HLCs with a higher abundance in the 4–6 p.m. collections. The drop trap technique and Mp419 LAMP assay confirmed C. milnei to be the most efficient vector in enabling the development of the microfilarial stage to the infective larval form of M. perstans. The LAMP assay also revealed that natural transmission of this nematode is fostered by C. milnei and C. grahamii in the wild. In conclusion, C. milnei was shown to be the main vector of M. perstans in the rain forest belt of the Littoral Region of Cameroon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Epidemiology and Transmission of Filarial Diseases)
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15 pages, 7202 KiB  
Review
Community-Directed Vector Control to Accelerate Onchocerciasis Elimination
by Benjamin Jacob, Edwin Michael and Thomas R. Unnasch
Pathogens 2024, 13(3), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13030268 - 21 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, has historically been one of the most important causes of blindness worldwide, and a major cause of socio-economic disruption, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Its importance as a cause of morbidity and an impediment to economic development in some of [...] Read more.
Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, has historically been one of the most important causes of blindness worldwide, and a major cause of socio-economic disruption, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Its importance as a cause of morbidity and an impediment to economic development in some of the poorest countries in the world motivated the international community to implement several programs to control or eliminate this scourge. Initially, these involved reducing transmission of the causative agent Onchocerca volvulus through controlling the vector population. When ivermectin was found to be a very effective drug for treating onchocerciasis, the strategy shifted to mass drug administration (MDA) of endemic communities. In some countries, both vector control and ivermectin MDA have been used together. However, traditional vector control methods involve treating rivers in which the black fly vectors breed with insecticides, a process which is expensive, requires trained personnel to administer, and can be ecologically harmful. In this review, we discuss recent research into alternatives to riverine insecticide treatment, which are inexpensive, ecologically less harmful, and can be implemented by the affected communities themselves. These can dramatically reduce vector densities and, when combined with ivermectin MDA, can accelerate the time to elimination when compared to MDA alone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Epidemiology and Transmission of Filarial Diseases)
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