Mechanisms of drug action and drug resistance in parasitic nematodes
Event details
| Date | 17.06.2010 |
| Hour | 12:15 |
| Speaker | Pascal Mäser - Swiss TPH, Dpt of Parasitology & Biology of Infection, Basel |
| Location |
SV 1717A
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Parasitic nematodes are the causative agents of a plethora of diseases to humans, livestock and crops. In the absence of vaccines, chemotherapy remains a mainstay of nematode control. The major anthelmintics are the benzimidazoles, imidazothiazoles (levamisole) and macrocyclic lactones (ivermectin). Multidrug-resistant (mdr) parasites are jeopardizing the efficacy of these drugs, particularly for use in farm animals. Gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep such as Haemonchus contortus were isolated that withstood all of the presently used anthelmintics. In this context the new anthelmintic monepantel, which was launched in 2009 and is active against mdr parasites, came as a big relief. Monepantel is an amino-acetonitrile derivative of excellent tolerability to mammals. We are studying the molecular mechanisms of anthelmintic resistance in H. contortus aiming (i) to learn more about the mode of action of amino-acetonitrile derivatives and to understand how they selectively kill nematodes, and (ii) to devise PCR-based tests for early recognition of potential resistance genes in the gene pool of the parasites in the field. We provide evidence that monepantel is an allosteric activator of acetylcholine receptors of the DEG-3 subfamily, a clade of ligand-gated ion channels which exclusively occurs in nematodes.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Nicola Harris
Contact
- Caroline Guinchard