Genetic polymorphism studies on wuchereria bancrofti functional genes and development of new surveillance avenues for the intervention of lymphatic filariasis

Abstract

Human lymphatic filariasis LF is a dire plague leading to profound disfiguring and causing socio economic burden throughout the tropics LF is caused by three species of tissue dwelling filaroid nematodes such as Brugia malayi Brugia timori and Wuchereria bancrofti Mosquito vectors are the primary perpetrators for the transmission mainly the newlineAnopheles Culex and Aedes species In India occurrence of bancroftian filariasis is seen in 90 of the cases the other 10 accounts to brugian filariasis Approximately 120 million people in over 83 countries are estimated at risk of LF The infection causes severe morbidity and social stigma amongst patients WHO initiated the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis GPELF by the year 2020 and it has been successfully implemented in China Malaysia Korea and certain islands of the Pacific GPELF mainly focuses on mass drug administration MDA using either diethylcarbamazine DEC or ivermectin in single or two dose regime combined with albendazole once a year to interrupt transmission of LF However these are micro filaricidal drugs which cannot clear the adult worms and there is a more need for macro filaricidal drugs To control the infection vector control measures are not as successful as treating the patients However since the vector population is very high in these regions MDA needs to be repeated annually for at least 5 years for consistent protection Long lived helminth parasites have co evolved with their hosts in order to avoid elimination and ensure survivability This evolutionary progress has to be checked and paralleled at regular intervals to avoid development of drug resistant and virulent parasitic strains newline newline