Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) infect approximately 1.5 billion humans worldwide. These parasites include Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris americanus, and Ancylostoma duodenale which primarily infect inhabitants of tropical and subtropical areas, where access to clean resources such as water and sanitation is insufficient. Infected individuals experience malnutrition, impaired cognitive function, immune dysregulation, and many other health consequences that persist (Hotez, et al., 2004). These effects prevent individuals from thriving and trap them in poverty. The World Health Organization (WHO) has authorized the use of four drugs for mass distribution to combat the infections. However, despite the existence of effective drugs, concerns over drug-resistance development in the parasites have prompted the need to develop new methods to combat infections (Albonico, et al., 2004). The economic strains that come with the existing drugs have also pushed for the discovery of new options. A potential solution to these concerns is Emodepside, a drug commonly used in veterinary medicine to treat intestinal worm infections in dogs and cats (Olliaro, et al., 2011). Studies have shown that it works better in humans than standard treatments like albendazole in curing these infections. Our research aims to observe the effect of varying emodepside concentrations on the motility and health of C. elegans in the L1 stage. Preliminary results showed a correlation between drug dosage and reduced health in C. elegans. We aim to further confirm our findings with more trials as well as a greater variety of concentrations.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Brian Ellis
Recommended Citation
Albonico, M., Engels, D., & Savioli, L. (2004). Monitoring drug efficacy and early detection of drug resistance in human soil-transmitted nematodes: A pressing public health agenda for helminth control. International Journal for Parasitology, 34(11), 1205–1210. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751904001651?via=ihub Hotez, P. J., Brooker, S., Bethony, J. M., Bottazzi, M. E., Loukas, A., & Xiao, S. (2004). Hookworm infection. The New England Journal of Medicine, 351(8), 799–807. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra032492 Olliaro, P., Seiler, J., Kuesel, A., Horton, J., Clark, J. N., Don, R., & Keiser, J. (2011). Potential drug development candidates for human soil-transmitted helminthiases. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 5(6), e1138. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001138
Included in
The Effects of Emodepside on L1 C. elegans
Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) infect approximately 1.5 billion humans worldwide. These parasites include Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris americanus, and Ancylostoma duodenale which primarily infect inhabitants of tropical and subtropical areas, where access to clean resources such as water and sanitation is insufficient. Infected individuals experience malnutrition, impaired cognitive function, immune dysregulation, and many other health consequences that persist (Hotez, et al., 2004). These effects prevent individuals from thriving and trap them in poverty. The World Health Organization (WHO) has authorized the use of four drugs for mass distribution to combat the infections. However, despite the existence of effective drugs, concerns over drug-resistance development in the parasites have prompted the need to develop new methods to combat infections (Albonico, et al., 2004). The economic strains that come with the existing drugs have also pushed for the discovery of new options. A potential solution to these concerns is Emodepside, a drug commonly used in veterinary medicine to treat intestinal worm infections in dogs and cats (Olliaro, et al., 2011). Studies have shown that it works better in humans than standard treatments like albendazole in curing these infections. Our research aims to observe the effect of varying emodepside concentrations on the motility and health of C. elegans in the L1 stage. Preliminary results showed a correlation between drug dosage and reduced health in C. elegans. We aim to further confirm our findings with more trials as well as a greater variety of concentrations.