Scientists at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have proved that a single course of one antibiotic may hold the key to curing the parasitic worm disease Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) that has been one of the most common causes of global disability since Biblical times. The discovery offers the first new treatment for this distressing disease for decades.
The disease causes cruel and severe disfigurement with debilitating swelling of the limbs. It leads to many sufferers being social outcasts, deprives them of the ability to work and impairs sexual function Scientifically known as Bancroftian filariasis, the disease is transmitted by the mosquito and affects the most deprived and marginalised populations in the poorest countries.
The findings of Dr Mark Taylor and his team of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine are based on their research in Tanzania and will bring new hope to millions off sufferers of Elephantiasis worldwide. They were published in the leading medical journal, the Lancet on Friday June 17th, 2005 and show that by using simple antibiotics it is possible to eliminate the adult worms which cause the gross pathology of the lymphatic system.
Dr Taylor, Senior Wellcome Research Fellow said: "This is a very significant breakthrough indeed. We haven't had a new treatment for filariasis for decades so this is of major importance. A key factor is that the treatment is available now. We know how it works and it is already a tried and tested treatment widely used for other bacterial diseases, avoiding all the long and expensive trials of a new drug. The drugs are readily available to people with filariasis and are cheap as well which is very important in countries where the disease is endemic. What we need to do now is to optimise the treatment to make it suitable for mass community programmes."
As Dr Taylor explained, the antifilarial drugs currently used, diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin, are predominantly active against the larval offspring of the parasite. These treatments form the basis of global programmes used to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in which the School also plays a leading role. However, drugs with adult worm activity could greatly improve the prospects of programme closure.