ArticlePLoS pathogens2025
Fexinidazole and Corallopyronin A target Wolbachia-infected sheath cells present in filarial nematodes.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessing the efficacy of high-dose rifampicin plus albendazole against onchocerciasis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Trial
- A transcription factor regulates development of a bacteria-housing eukaryotic cell through DNA damage mitigation.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiomes in Parasitic Roundworms Reveals Phylogeny-Associated Community Structure and Functional Adaptation.Transboundary and emerging diseases · 2026Article
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10 authors.
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Abstract
The discovery of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia as an obligate symbiont of. filarial nematodes has led to antibiotic-based treatments for filarial diseases. While lab. and clinical studies have yielded promising results, recent animal studies revealed that Wolbachia levels rebound following treatment with the antibiotic rifampicin. Previous work revealed that a potential source of the bacterial rebound in female worms were dense clusters of Wolbachia in ovarian tissue. The number, size, and density of these Wolbachia clusters were not diminished despite antibiotic treatment. Here we define the cellular characteristics of the Wolbachia clusters in Brugia pahangi (wBp) and identify drugs that target them. We show that the Wolbachia clusters originate from newly formed sheath cells adjacent to the distal tip cell. The dramatically enlarged volume of a Wolbachia-infected sheath cell is strikingly similar to endosymbiont-induced bacteriocytes found in many insect species. Ultrastructural analysis reveals that the clustered Wolbachia present within the sheath cells have a distinct morphology from those present within the oocytes, and that the sheath cell membrane appears to have interdigitations with the adjacent oocyte membrane. This includes membrane-based channels that provide a connection between Wolbachia-infected sheath cells and oocytes. We determined that the Wolbachia within the sheath cells are either quiescent or replicating at a very low rate. Screens of 11 known antibiotics and other drugs revealed that Fexinidazole, Corallopyronin A and Rapamycin reduced the number of Wolbachia clusters infecting sheath cells but only Fexinidazole and Corallopyronin A showed a highly significant difference (p < 0.0001) compared to the control group.
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