School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine

Devaney

Filariasis is a parastic disease caused by nematode worms, and can affect humans and a range of other animals. Prof Eileen Devaney and Elmarie Myburgh will determine whether parasitic filarial (thread-like) worms can be visualised in the lymphatic system of live animals. The purpose is to determine whether such visualisation can provide a means to measure, and ultimately a means of screening, for drug activity. Testing candidate anti-filarial drugs using in vivo models is preferable to the current in vitro assays, because the selected drugs are more likely to be effective in humans.

First published: 3 July 2014