Wolbachia : A Bug’s Life in Another Bug

Abstract

This textbook intended as a reference for researchers in the field of drug discovery, as antibiotics and antiwolbachia formulations will aid in eliminating disease transmission and pathogenesis. It contains 9 chapters. Chapter 1 addresses the historical perspective and biology of Wolbachia. Chapter 2 details the evolution and phylogeny of the filarial Wolbachia lineage in comparison with Wolbachia found in other organisms. Chapter 3 provides a review on Wolbachia as a target for chemotherapy and its current status in human clinical trials. Chapter 4 highlights and updates the current understanding of the Wolbachia genome and the mining of Wolbachia genes in the genome, which is useful to identify the bacterial relationships with their nematode hosts. Chapter 5 expands understanding of the Wolbachia genome of filarial nematodes in comparison with insect Wolbachia genome including recent studies involving the lateral gene transfer between bacteria and their hosts and its significance. Chapters 4 and 5 provide new insights and exclusive features about the biological relationships of Wolbachia with their nematode host. Chapters 6 and 7 describe Wolbachia's biological significance in insects and insights through their genomic analysis. Chapter 8 describes the importance of Wolbachia in veterinary filariasis and defines the multiple roles of Wolbachia in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of animal filarial infections, which goes in parallel with studies of Wolbachia in human filariasis. Chapter 9 discusses the role of Wolbachia in the induction of filarial pathogenesis and critical role of the Toll-like receptor pathways in the host's immune response to these endobacteria. This publication is intended for readers with teaching or research interests in microbiology, entomology, infectious diseases, genetics, tropical medicine and clinical research.