Abstracto

Evidence of gene selection by ivermectin in the Onchocerca volvulus 2-tubulin gene polymorphism in the Mbonge sub-division of Cameroon.

Fleur Delacour

Ivermectin (IVM) is still the sole safe medicine for mass onchocerciasis control, and its efficacy is critical to the success of control programmes. However, relying on a single treatment for decades could be problematic due to the development of IVM resistance, as seen in cattle nematode infections and canine filarial heartworm. Drug resistance is a genetic phenomenon that results from changes in the parasite population's genetic profile, which can be interpreted as selection for specific gene variants.