Molecular Evidence of<i>Wolbachia</i>Endosymbiosis in<i>Mansonella perstans</i>in Gabon, Central Africa

Gehringer, Christian; Kreidenweiss, Andrea; Flamen, Arnaud; Antony, Justin S.; Grobusch, Martin P.; Bélard, Sabine

doi:10.1093/infdis/jiu320

Cited by 21 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…perstans remains unresponsive to most antifilarial drugs [ 1 ]. Antibiotics for Wolbachia , its endosymbiont, had been reported as a strategy to combat this parasite [ 23 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mansonella, including a Potential New Species, as Common Parasites in Children in Gabon

et al. 2015

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BackgroundLike other tropical African countries, Gabon is afflicted by many parasitic diseases, including filariases such as loiasis and mansonellosis. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of these two filarial diseases in febrile and afebrile children using quantitative real-time PCR and standard PCR assays coupled with sequencing.Methodology/Principal FindingsDNA from blood specimens of 1,418 Gabonese children (1,258 febrile and 160 afebrile) were analyzed. Overall, filarial DNA was detected in 95 (6.7%) children, including 67 positive for M. perstans (4.7%), which was the most common. M. perstans was detected in 61/1,258 febrile children (4.8%) and 6/160 afebrile children (3.8%, P = 0.6). Its prevalence increased statistically with age: 3.5%, 7.7% and 10.6% in children aged ≤5, 6–10 and 11–15 years, respectively. M. perstans prevalence was significantly higher in Koulamoutou and Lastourville (12% and 10.5%, respectively) than in Franceville and Fougamou (2.6% and 2.4%, respectively). Loa loa was detected in seven febrile children including one co-infection with M. perstans. Finally, 21 filarial DNA positive were negative for M. perstans and Loa loa, but ITS sequencing could be performed for 12 and allowed the identification of a potential new species of Mansonella provisionally called “DEUX”. Mansonella sp. “DEUX” was detected only in febrile children.Conclusions/SignificanceFurther study should be performed to characterize Mansonella sp. “DEUX” and evaluate the clinical significance of mansonellosis in humans.

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“…perstans remains unresponsive to most antifilarial drugs [ 1 ]. Antibiotics for Wolbachia , its endosymbiont, had been reported as a strategy to combat this parasite [ 23 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mansonella, including a Potential New Species, as Common Parasites in Children in Gabon

et al. 2015

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“… 64 It is presently not clear if what is known about other filarial Wolbachia can be safely extrapolated to the Mansonella Wolbachia endosymbionts and if they have a hitherto-uncharacterized role in mansonellosis pathology or indeed what their role in Mansonella -parasite development and reproduction is. 65 , 66 However, in one clinical trial in Mali, antibiotic treatment with doxycycline was seen to provide sustained clearance of M. perstans parasitemias 12 months following treatment, suggesting that Wolbachia may have an important role in the reproduction and survival of adult worms. 67 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mansonellosis: current perspectives

Ta‐Tang

Crainey

Post

et al. 2018

RRTM

161

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Mansonellosis is a filarial disease caused by three species of filarial (nematode) parasites (Mansonella perstans, Mansonella streptocerca, and Mansonella ozzardi) that use humans as their main definitive hosts. These parasites are transmitted from person to person by bloodsucking females from two families of flies (Diptera). Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) transmit all three species of Mansonella, but blackflies (Simuliidae) are also known to play a role in the transmission of M. ozzardi in parts of Latin America. M. perstans and M. streptocerca are endemic in western, eastern, and central Africa, and M. perstans is also present in the neotropical region from equatorial Brazil to the Caribbean coast. M. ozzardi has a patchy distribution in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mansonellosis infections are thought to have little pathogenicity and to be almost always asymptomatic, but occasionally causing itching, joint pains, enlarged lymph glands, and vague abdominal symptoms. In Brazil, M. ozzardi infections are also associated with corneal lesions. Diagnosis is usually performed by detecting microfilariae in peripheral blood or skin without any periodicity. There is no standard treatment at present for mansonellosis. The combination therapy of diethylcarbamazine plus mebendazole for M. perstans microfilaremia is presently one of the most widely used, but the use of ivermectin has also been proven to be very effective against microfilariae. Recently, doxycycline has shown excellent efficacy and safety when used as an antimicrobial against endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria harbored by some strains of M. perstans and M. ozzardi. Diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin have been used effectively to treat M. streptocerca infection. There are at present no estimates of the disease burden caused by mansonellosis, and thus its importance to many global health professionals and policy makers is presently limited to how it can interfere with diagnostic tools used in modern filarial disease control and elimination programs aimed at other species of filariae.

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“…The first attempt to detect Wolbachia in M. perstans failed [21] . Nevertheless, the presence of the bacterium was evidenced later [17] , [22] , though not in all samples, thus either indicating that Wolbachia are facultative M. perstans endosymbionts or that there were some technical difficulties. Although the efficacy of doxycycline against M. perstans microfilaraemia in a clinical trial [16] promoted the hypothesis of obligatory endosymbiosis, further studies are needed to better understand the Wolbachia–Mansonella association.…”

Section: Knowledge Gaps In the Biology Of Mansonella mentioning

confidence: 88%

Mansonellosis, the most neglected human filariasis

Mediannikov

Ranque

2018

New Microbes and New Infections

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Human mansonellosis is caused by M. perstans, M. ozzardi and M. streptocerca, the three main filarial species in the genus Mansonella. Despite accumulating evidence of a high prevalence in endemic areas, there is currently no filariasis control programme targeting mansonellosis. The health-related impact on people living with these filariae remains unknown, and evidences regarding treatment strategies are scarce. Like other neglected diseases, it mainly affects poor populations living in tropical and subtropical climates. Mansonellosis can be considered one of the most neglected tropical infectious diseases. The objective of this literature review was to draw attention to the gap of knowledge regarding Mansonella spp. taxonomy, the transmission of these arthropod-borne filariasis and the health outcomes of people living with mansonellosis.

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Molecular Evidence ofWolbachiaEndosymbiosis inMansonella perstansin Gabon, Central Africa

Cited by 21 publications

References 32 publications

Mansonella, including a Potential New Species, as Common Parasites in Children in Gabon

Mansonella, including a Potential New Species, as Common Parasites in Children in Gabon

Mansonellosis: current perspectives

Mansonellosis, the most neglected human filariasis

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