Development and validation of an Onchocerca ochengi adult male worm gerbil model for macrofilaricidal drug screening.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Onchocerciasis currently afflicts an estimated 15 million people and is the second leading infectious cause of blindness world-wide. The development of a macrofilaricide to cure the disease has been hindered by the lack of appropriate small laboratory animal models. This study therefore, was aimed at developing and validating the Mongolian gerbil, as an Onchocerca ochengi (the closest in phylogeny to O. volvulus) adult male worm model. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were each implanted with 20 O. ochengi male worms (collected from infected cattle), in the peritoneum. Following drug or placebo treatments, the implanted worms were recovered from the animals and analyzed for burden, motility and viability. Worm recovery in control gerbils w

SUBMITTER: Cho-Ngwa F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6625737 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature