Tetracycline therapy targets intracellular bacteria in the filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis and results in filarial infertility

Mapping the presence of Wolbachia pipientis on the phylogeny of filarial nematodes: evidence for symbiont loss during evolution

“…In this way, L. yutajensis could become a valid alternative to the use of A. viteae (which is negative for W. pipientis) as a sort of 'negative control' (e.g. see Hoerauf et al, 1999;McCall et al, 1999;Taylor et al, 2000 andSaint André et al, 2002), being more closely related to a filarial model which harbors W. pipientis (L. sigmodontis) than A. viteae (see Casiraghi et al, 2001b). Litomosoides species are thought to have evolved as parasites of bats in South America, and diversified in rodents only recently (about 3 millions years), when these migrated from North America during the Pliocene-Pleistocene; their passage into small marsupials is also believed to have occurred after the Pliocene-Pleistocene Philipp, 1991 andGuerrero et al, 2002).…”

“…A rodent filaria, Acanthocheilonema viteae (belonging to the so-called Dipetalonema sensu lato lineage; Bain et al, 1982), consistently appeared PCR negative for W. pipientis in independent studies (e.g. see Bandi et al, 1998 andHoerauf et al, 1999; for tables listing filarial species positive and negative for W. pipientis, see Bandi et al, 2001). Recent studies have provided evidence for the absence of W. pipientis in Loa loa and Setaria equina (Chirgwin et al, 2002;Büttner et al, 2003 andGrobusch et al, 2003).…”

“…In arthropods W. pipientis generally induces alterations in host reproduction (Werren, 1997;Stouthamer et al, 1999 andBandi et al, 2001). In filarial nematodes there is convincing evidence that these bacteria are required for the development and reproduction of their hosts Bandi et al, 1999;Hoerauf et al, 1999;McCall et al, 1999;Hoerauf et al, 2000 andCasiraghi et al, 2002).…”

Molecular characterisation of Heterorhabditis indica isolates from India, Kenya, Indonesia and Cuba

“…Cytoplasmic factors such as endosymbiont bacteria (see reviews by Werren, 1997;Johanowicz & Hoy, 1998) and chromosomal factors such as transposons (reviewed by Kidwell, 1990;Petrov et al, 1995) have been shown to be frequent causes of reproductive incompatibility in arthropods. Endosymbiont bacteria have recently been shown to cause reproductiveincompatibility in larial nematodes (Hoerauf et al, 1999). Since the reproductive incompatibilityobserved in this study does not yield clear groups of compatible and incompatible strains and in view of the consistency of the DNA based diagnostic tests, any assignment of biological species within the H. indica group would be injudicious at present.…”

The infective larva ofLitomosoides yutajensisGuerreroet al., 2003 (Nematoda: Onchocercidae), aWolbachia-free filaria from bat

“…However L. yutajensis Guerrero et al, 2003 is free of this endosymbiont (Casiraghi et al, 2004). As in other filarial nematodes, there is evidence that this bacterium is required for the development and reproduction of its filarial host (Hoerauf et al, 1999;Casiraghi et al, 2002), knowledge of the life cycle of L. yutajensis, which parasites a bat (Guerrero et al, 2003), would be of particular interest.…”