Filarial parasites in the postgenomic era

Filarial parasites are able to survive for many years in their host, with suppression of the host's immune response being one major survival strategy of the parasite. However, knowledge on molecules that induce these pathways is limited. Additionally, molecules that induce inflammation, thereby leading to severe pathology, such as elephantiasis, are also not fully identified. This article assesses the findings of a recently published analysis of stage-specific excretory-secretory proteins by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in combination with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In total, 228 proteins with known and unknown functions were identified and compared with genomic, expressed sequence tags and proteomic databases. We discuss the key findings of this article for implications on filarial parasitism, as well as for a potential use for new therapeutics.