In certain regions of West Africa, onchocerciasis is a more important cause of blindness than trachoma. In some villages it is common to see young children leading blind adults; in highly endemic areas the blindness rate in men over 40 years may be 40% or higher.
Transcribed from the Atlas of Tropical and Extraordinary Diseases, p. 373. Photo contributed by WHO. Selected by Kathleen
Our group is studying
Wolbachia, an endosymbiotic bacteria that live in nematodes that cause these diseases. Current developments involve studying the nematodes' dependence on
Wolbachia to target
Wolbachia for more effective drugs that kill adult worms.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment