Clinical And Therapeutic Studies Of Human Filariasis and Related Diseases

National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases

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Linked publications & trials

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. The influence that filarial infections have on the clinical expression of non-filarial infectious diseases have also been studied by performing clinical trials in filarial-endemic regions of the world that are co-endemic for malaria (Mali), tuberculosis (India) and HIV (India).[unreadable] [unreadable] Understanding of the pathogenesis of eosinophil-related disorders has been a major focus of our clinically related studies. Multiple groups of hypereosinophilic patients (parasite-infected, familial hypereosinophilia, idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome, benign hypereosinophilia, episodic angioedema with eosinophilia) have been assessed clinically; moreover, lymphocytes (and their subsets) and eosinophils have been examined functionally and at the molecular level (human microarrays and RT-PCR) to identify the molecules and pathways involved in conditions associated with increased blood and tissue eosinophilia as well the fibrosis that the tissue eosinophilia induces.[unreadable] [unreadable] New diagnostic approaches have been developed and utilized for the rapid and specific diagnosis of Strongyloidiasis, loiasis, and onchocerciasis.