Vector immunity to filariasis: new potential for disease control?

These experiments describe investigations into the mode of microfilarial killing in the haemocoel of immune Aedes aegypti and Simulium ornatum. Antibody blocking experiments indicate that sarcotoxin IIA-like and sarcolectin-like molecules maybe involved. The use of carbohydrate in the infecting blood meal indicates that gut lectins may be involved in preventing migration of Brugia microfilariae into the haemocoel. This appears to be a strain factor linked to innate susceptibility. These physiological mechanisms may develop into useful handles in the control of vectors by genetic manipulation, or in developing new chemotherapeutic agents.