Another decade of Trichuris muris research: An update and application of key discoveries

Bacillus thuringiensis: a gift for nematode management

Nematodes attacking plants and animals pose a global threat to agricultural industry and public health. Chemicals as long preferred tools for nematode management are facing challenges such as pest resistance and policy restrictions. Recent findings show that Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces rich components with excellent nematicidal competence and is a precious nonchemical resource for controlling a broad range of nematode parasites. Transgenic plants, microbial products, and nanoparticles efficiently deliver and protect Bt nematicidal activities. The combination of nematicidal elements with distinct modes of action can enhance the efficacy and sustainability of Bt-derived nematicidal products. Here we outline these advances, emphasize the promise of Bt in managing nematodes, and discuss issues concerning the optimization of field deployments of Bt-based nematode management.

Discovery of Human PIM Kinase Inhibitors as a Class of Anthelmintic Drugs to Treat Intestinal Nematode Infections

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections affect one-fourth of the global population and pose a significant threat to human and animal health, with limited treatment options and emerging drug resistance. Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) stands out as a neglected disease, necessitating new drugs to address this unmet medical need. We discovered that several different chemical series of related human Provirus Integration sites for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) family kinase inhibitors possess potent anthelmintic activity by using whole-worm motility assays. Systematic structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies based on the pan-PIM kinase inhibitor CX-6258 were conducted to identify compounds displaying improved in vitro motility inhibition of both adult hookworm (Ancylostoma ceylanicum) and adult whipworm (Trichuris muris) nematodes. A broad kinase selectivity screen of >450 human kinases confirms PIM1 kinase and others as potential targets for CX-6258 and analogues thereof. In addition, we demonstrated that CX-6258 significantly reduced worm burden and egg counts in the T. muris infection model of mice, establishing it as a new oral small molecule anthelmintic therapeutic.

Getting around the roundworms: Identifying knowledge gaps and research priorities for the ascarids

The ascarids are a large group of parasitic nematodes that infect a wide range of animal species. In humans, they cause neglected diseases of poverty; many animal parasites also cause zoonotic infections in people. Control measures include hygiene and anthelmintic treatments, but they are not always appropriate or effective and this creates a continuing need to search for better ways to reduce the human, welfare and economic costs of these infections. To this end, Le Studium Institute of Advanced Studies organized a two-day conference to identify major gaps in our understanding of ascarid parasites with a view to setting research priorities that would allow for improved control. The participants identified several key areas for future focus, comprising of advances in genomic analysis and the use of model organisms, especially Caenorhabditis elegans, a more thorough appreciation of the complexity of host-parasite (and parasite-parasite) communications, a search for novel anthelmintic drugs and the development of effective vaccines. The participants agreed to try and maintain informal links in the future that could form the basis for collaborative projects, and to co-operate to organize future meetings and workshops to promote ascarid research.