Wolbachia sp. wRi

Wolbachia strain TRS is the obligate endosymbiont of the nematode Brugia malayi and is required for fertility and survival of the worm. Brugia malayi as well as Wuchereria bancrofti cause lymphatic filariasis, a disease that affects 120 million people, a third of whom show disfigurement. In nematodes, Wolbachia is located in the lateral chords in both sexes and are also localized in oocytes. The bacterium seems to be present in 100% of individuals within a population, when a species contains them. As they appear to be essential to the worm survival, they represent potential therapeutic targets for filariasis control. Some antibiotics show inhibitory effects on parasitic nematode development and fertility. No antibiotic effects are observed in nematodes that do not harbor Wolbachia. Wolbachia play a role in the host immunological response to filarial parasite invasion. Infection by filarial parasites results in the production of antibodies directed toward parasite- and Wolbachia-specific antigens.(From http://www.expasy.org/sprot/hamap/WOLTR.html) (BacMap)