Mansonella as Concomitant Infections

01/01/2023 to 31/12/2024

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are defined as a group of infections that primarily affect developing countries and significantly impair the quality of life and health of the poorest people. The Tübingen site focuses in particular on co-infections with helminths and other pathogens. Investigations at the partner site CERMEL in Gabon revealed that another parasite occurs on a large scale as a co-infection, namely filariae of the species Mansonella. Mansonella infections are among the most widespread human filariases, but despite their common prevalence, research has been neglected. Previous research in Gabon revealed that humans are not only infected by Mansonella perstans but also by a different species/genotype, namely Mansonella sp “DEUX”. First whole genome data support the hypothesis that these are two different species, but further evidence is needed to confirm these findings, so that more samples are needed to generate better quality whole genomes. In addition, skin dwelling Mansonella species (Mansonella rodhaini and Mansonella streptocerca) are described to be present in Gabon, but no prevalence and sequence data is available for them.
The requested funds will help to better understand the impact of Mansonella coinfections as one of the most neglected tropical diseases, through the collection of samples for generation of whole-genome sequencing data and determining the prevalence of skin-dwelling filaria and especially Mansonella species.