2000. Analysis of genes expressed at the infective larval stage validates utility of Litomosoides sigmodontis as a murine model for filarial vaccine development. Infect. Immun

We used an expressed sequence tag approach to analyze genes expressed by the infective larvae of the rodent filarial parasite Litomosoides sigmodontis. One hundred fifty two new genes were identified, including several proposed as vaccine candidates in studies with human filarial parasites. Our findings have important impli-cations for the use of L. sigmodontis as a model for filarial infection. The rodent filarial parasite Litomosoides sigmodontis has recently been proposed as an important model of filariasis because it is the only filarial species in which the full develop-ment cycle can take place in inbred laboratory mice (1, 19). The power of murine genetics and immunology can now be brought to bear on fundamental questions in filarial biology that have previously been intractable. Perhaps the most imme-diate application of this model is the rigorous testing of vaccine strategies. The main objective of a filarial vaccine would be to target the incoming vector-derived larvae without inducing an immune response to later stages that might damage the host