Therapeutic Strategies for Nonendemic Onchocerciasis

Introduction

Onchocerciasis is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, representing a serious public health problem in African and Central American tropical areas. Classical management of onchocerciasis is the mass drug administration of an annual single dose of ivermectin that acts on microfilariae, but unfortunately doesn’t kill the adult worms. Recent data suggest that the depletion of the Wolbachia endosymbiont by doxycycline leads to long-lasting sterility of adult female worms, stopping the disease and can even reverse symptoms in individuals outside transmission areas [1].

References

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• 2 Hoerauf A, Mand S, Adjei O et al. Depletion of wolbachia endobacteria in Onchocerca volvulus by doxycycline and microfilaridermia after ivermectin treatment.  Lancet. 2001;  357 1415-1416
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