Journal
PATHOGENS AND GLOBAL HEALTH
Volume 116, Issue 3, Pages 140-145Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2021.1996796
Keywords
Vertebrate-parasitic nematodes; entomopathogenic nematodes; inter-species interactions; alternative treatment options; vector control; model organisms
Funding
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The research on debilitating infections caused by vertebrate-parasitic nematodes is challenging and costly, but studying the interactions between entomopathogenic nematodes, their insect hosts and bacterial symbionts may reveal novel treatment targets. Targeting nematodes, as well as the interaction of pathogens with insect vectors and bacterial symbionts, offers potentially effective but underexplored opportunities.
Vertebrate-parasitic nematodes cause debilitating, chronic infections in millions of people worldwide. The burden of these so-called 'neglected tropical diseases' is often carried by poorer socioeconomic communities in part because research on parasitic nematodes and their vertebrate hosts is challenging and costly. However, complex biological and pathological processes can be modeled in simpler organisms. Here, we consider how insight into the interactions between entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), their insect hosts and bacterial symbionts may reveal novel treatment targets for parasitic nematode infections. We argue that a combination of approaches that target nematodes, as well as the interaction of pathogens with insect vectors and bacterial symbionts, offer potentially effective, but underexplored opportunities.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available