Progress in the Treatment and Control of Lymphatic Filariasis

Lymphatic filariasis caused by tissue nematodes is a nonfatal public health disease which causes huge deformities in several tropical and subtropical countries including India leading to severe man-hour loss. Mass drug administration using single-dose treatment with diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin in combination with albendazole has brought down filarial prevalence in several geographical regions; however, reports on development of resistance to mainstay drugs especially in veterinary settings are alarming. Discovery of Wolbachia endosymbionts in filarial parasites and dependence of filariids on these microorganisms for their fertility, growth and survival suggest these bacteria to be an attractive drug target. Knowledge on Brugia malayi genome has given huge impetus on the search for new drug molecules and novel drug targets. Modern bioinformatics approaches such as in silico drug designing and screening of compounds/target enzyme inhibitors or compound libraries as well as new assay development would facilitate the new drug discovery and development programme.