Trial reportMedical microbiology and immunology2008
Wolbachia endobacteria depletion by doxycycline as antifilarial therapy has macrofilaricidal activity in onchocerciasis: a randomized placebo-controlled study.
Trial report in Medical microbiology and immunology, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 117 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
117 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 241 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preclinical animal models for onchocerciasis and loiasis: A systematic review of applications in drug screening.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Design and analysis of randomized clinical trials for onchocerciasis, loiasis and mansonellosis: A systematic review.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Confirmed cases of human Onchocerca lupi infection: a systematic review of an emerging threat.Parasitology research · 2021Pooled it
- Doxycycline plus ivermectin versus ivermectin alone for treatment of patients with onchocerciasis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Therapeutic efficacy and macrofilaricidal activity of doxycycline for the treatment of river blindness.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2015Pooled it
- Assessing the efficacy of high-dose rifampicin plus albendazole against onchocerciasis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of Intensified Hygiene Measures with or without the Addition of Doxycycline in the Management of Filarial Lymphedema: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial in Tanzania.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Trial
- Comparison of Repeated Doses of Ivermectin Versus Ivermectin Plus Albendazole for the Treatment of Onchocerciasis: A Randomized, Open-label, Clinical Trial.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2020Trial
- Comparison of Doxycycline, Minocycline, Doxycycline plus Albendazole and Albendazole Alone in Their Efficacy against Onchocerciasis in a Randomized, Open-Label, Pilot Trial.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Trial
- Effect of Two or Six Doses 800 mg of Albendazole Every Two Months on Loa loa Microfilaraemia: A Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2016Trial
- Doxycycline Leads to Sterility and Enhanced Killing of Female Onchocerca volvulus Worms in an Area With Persistent Microfilaridermia After Repeated Ivermectin Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2015Trial
- Trial
- Retarded Onchocerca volvulus L1 to L3 larval development in the Simulium damnosum vector after anti-wolbachial treatment of the human host.Parasites & vectors · 2012Trial
- Macrofilaricidal activity after doxycycline only treatment of Onchocerca volvulus in an area of Loa loa co-endemicity: a randomized controlled trial.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2010Trial
- Newly acquired Onchocerca volvulus filariae after doxycycline treatment.Parasitology research · 2009Trial
- A randomized trial of doxycycline for Mansonella perstans infection.The New England journal of medicine · 2009Trial
- Efficacy of 2- and 4-week rifampicin treatment on the Wolbachia of Onchocerca volvulus.Parasitology research · 2008Trial
- Effects of 6-week azithromycin treatment on the Wolbachia endobacteria of Onchocerca volvulus.Parasitology research · 2008Trial
- Comparison of 6-Week Doxycycline vs 6-Week Rifampicin or 3 Weeks of Doxycycline Plus Rifampicin in the Treatment of Onchocerciasis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Phase 2 Trial.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- High-resolution mapping of onchocerciasis risk in Ghana using spatial machine learning models.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
57 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
- Erratum issuedTaylor, Mark J [added]
Authors and funding
17 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Ghana, 67 onchocerciasis patients received 200-mg/day doxycycline for 4-6 weeks, followed by ivermectin (IVM) after 6 months. After 6-27 months, efficacy was evaluated by onchocercoma histology, PCR and microfilariae determination. Administration of doxycycline resulted in endobacteria depletion and female worm sterilization. The 6-week treatment was macrofilaricidal, with >60% of the female worms found dead, despite the presence of new, Wolbachia-containing worms acquired after the administration of doxycycline. Doxycycline may be developed as second-line drug for onchocerciasis, to be administered in areas without transmission, in foci with IVM resistance and in areas with Loa co-infections.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.