Clinical And Therapeutic Studies Of Human Filariasis

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Abstract

To understand better the pathogenesis of filarial infections (onchocerciasis, loiaisis, lymphatic filarasis) clinical assessments of patients with these and other related non-filarial (strongyloides, malaria) infections have been studied in detail. Moreover, the post-treatment inflammatory responses and the underlying mechanisms in their induction have been detailed. In particular, the control of eosinophil induction and cell trafficking to sites of post-treatment inflammation has been studied. The importance of the Wolbachia endosymbiont both as a therapeutic target and as a inducer of inflammation has been detailed as well. In FY 2003, we demonstrated the relative paucity of adverse reactions seen following ivermectin/albendazole treatment of lymphatic filariasis in Mali and have shown that co-infection with Mansonella perstans does little to alter the post-treatment reactions.